Decide
by Fun-Sized Kirk
Summary: Our everyday choices and decisions can change everything. What happens when a parent's decision forces Winry Rockbell into a boarding school dubbed Amestris Academy and rational thinking goes awry due to raging teenage hormones? AU EdWin, Royai, HavBec, MaesXGracia, AlMei, LingFan, FureyXSheska
1. Amestris Academy

**I'M BACK! :D**

**Hello to all of my new readers and a welcome back to my previous readers as well!**

**So, I've had this story in the making for over a month now (maybe two) and I hope plenty of people will be as excited about it as I am! There are a ton of pairings in this story (about 90% of them will happen later on in the story) and here they are:**

**EdWin, (a bit one-sided at first) eventual Royai and HavBec, some MaesXGracia, future AlMei and LingFan, hints of DennyXMaria, possible FureyXSheska**

**Before you start reading I'd like to thank my amazing friend and Beta Dani for her help on this story! :D**

**Now, without further adu, I give you chapter one!**

* * *

"Don't look so sad Win," Winry's father said with a small smile, looking at her through the rear-view mirror. "You're going to have a blast. I know it."

"How do you know?" Winry asked grumpily as she played with a lock of her long, pale blond hair.

"Remember I went to medical camp for four years and I had an amazing time there!" he exclaimed. "You'll have fun here too."

"Yeah dad, that's great and all but that was _camp_," Winry added with a small kick to one of her bags that sat on the seat next to her. "A camp that was _only_ two months long and only a _half an hour_ away from all of your friends and family and civilization. _This_, however, is_ not _a camp. It's boarding school and it's _hours_ away from all my friends."

"That was before cell phones and before all those chat rooms were created on the internet so it was like I was isolated from all of my friends too Win. I made new friends and I was fine. I'm still friends with a bunch of them too; you remember-?"

"Dad, I don't want new friends," Winry said, cutting her father off mid-memory lane rant. "I liked the ones I had back home."

"Winry honey," her mother said, turning in her seat to stare at her daughter in the eyes; a sympathetic smile on her face. "I know this isn't exactly fair-."

"You can say that again."

Her mother gave her a stern look and Winry anticipated a good telling off any moment now; she dissevered one by now. She had been absolutely awful for the past month to her parents after they had delivered the 'life changing news' to their daughter.

Sara and Urey Rockbell were two of the best doctors in the hospital were they worked in town. They had been happy and contempt with working on and saving people from the area but inside they needed more; a change of scenery.

Well Africa, it turns out, seemed to have nice scenery for the Rockbells.

After much consideration, the two doctors decided to take a few years' hiatus and help to work in relief efforts in Africa and after even more consideration, they decided to leave their sixteen-year-old daughter Winry back home in the states. Needless to say, Winry was not as pleased when they told her about their decision and her displeasure only increased when her parents gave her their ultimatum: move to her grandmothers house in Richmond, Virginia some eight hours away or go to boarding school.

"But I have friends here! I can't just leave them!" Winry instantly cried out when she heard the news. "I can't move that far away!"

"You could always go to the Boarding School we suggested," her father supplied.

Winry would have loved to laugh when he said 'suggested'; they had been plugging this boarding school ever since she was twelve and began to dismantle all of the appliances the small family owned. Along with this new obsession with tinkering with mechanics, Winry began to change from their some-what mild mannered little girl to a ruff and tumble tom-boy of a teenage girl who seemed to rebel against the norm. Her mother had always been a little worried about her obsession with machinery but her father was less worried, saying it was her grandmother's genes pumping through her.

"Yeah, like it's any closer than moving to Granny's," Winry spat; she didn't want to be held up in some boarding school while her parents ran around Africa without her!

"A whole hour closer," her mother supplied.

"A whole seven hours _drive_ from home," Winry hinted heavily; she'd been trying to hint to her parents that she wanted a car and she felt like this was a perfect time to try and get one out of them.

"_Winry_."

"Winry, Amestris Academy is one of the best schools on the East side of the _country_!" her mother exclaimed. "You could do great things there."

"I'd rather be doing great things in _Africa_," Winry growled before sliding out of the room.

It was just not fair at all. Her parents would get to fly across the world to another continent and do amazing things while she would be stuck here, in this _Academy _doing nothing but bookwork.

_I bet they won't even let me take a shop class…_Winry mussed quietly as she stared out the car window at the quickly passing scenery.

She still had another hour in the car until they reached the school. Her parents had downturned her idea of flying, for they would be leaving the following afternoon and 'wanted to spend as much quality time with her as possible until then'. Winry's response was to take her along if they wanted quality time.

* * *

"Here we are!" her father sang happily as they pulled along the large wrought iron gate that seemed to encase the school campus.

They had only just passed a watchman before crossing a large bridge; it appeared that the school was either cut by or surrounded by a large river.

_Perfect_, Winry thought. _I'm trapped here._

Her parents had produced a map of the school a few days prior to their departure but only now was Winry eager to look at it. After She had located the crumpled paper underneath one of her bags, she was instantly annoyed at what she saw. Winry was right to assume that the river ran back farther and created half of the campus's border around the east and north sides. The front of the campus was guarded by the large gate they were driving along now. Most of the western side of the school campus was covered by a large forest. On the map it showed where the exact school border was; Winry wondered if there was actually a tangible border or if it was just thick foliage guarding her from the outside world.

Finally, Winry's car stopped and she was sure her stomach dropped a foot when her parents began to disembark from the car.

"Winry," her mother said as she opened of the passenger door Winry was not currently leaning against, "You can't sit in here all day. Come on."

Winry would have loved to retort something snotty back to her mother but found that at the realization that this was really not all for show and she really was going to be stuck here, Winry's voice seemed to have died somewhere in her throat.

Giving in to her mother's sadden look, Winry got out of the car and followed her parents towards the large grey building that stood right behind the opening of the gates. She noted dully that there were two large security cameras sitting on either side of the gate, swiveling back and forth slowly to capture everyone and anything entering and leaving the school. Her mother gripped onto her hand reassuringly as the came closer to the building.

As the family slowly made their way towards the building, Winry took the time to look around the surrounding area. Only a few teens littered the near-by area, but then again, Winry was not surprised as it was over a whole week until the term started. This was something else Winry found quite annoying; it was an entire week before school started, so why would anyone actually be here? Her parents kept commenting on how this would be a great time to make some new friends but what was she going to do until anyone actually showed up?

Winry only noted that they had entered the building when the hot air quickly changed to air that was almost too cold. The floor was made of marble and a lady at a desk sat squarely in the middle of the circular room. Large hallways went out from this room, all labeled different but equally boring things: Administrations Offices; Board Rooms; Headmaster's Office; lavatory. The lady quickly perked up at the sight of them walking towards her.

"May I help you?"

"Yes, we're here to speak to the headmaster? Our daughter's coming into the school today."

The lady peeked around her father and gave her an overly perky smile which Winry only returned half-heartedly. After being pointed down one of the many hallways, they arrived in front of the office after only a few short moments.

"Come in!" said a cheery but old male voice from inside.

The room was probably bigger than her room back home had been. Dark wood panels stuck to the walls while cherry-colored plush carpeting covered the floor. Near the back of the room sat a large mahogany desk with a large and cushy-looking black chair. In front of the desk was a large black couch to match the Headmasters chair. In the middle of the west wall, an old fireplace stood, looking as if it hadn't been used in years.

"Hello!" chirped an old man who stood in front of the desk; Winry had to assume was the Headmaster.

He looked to be around his sixties with a balding head, mighty grey mustache and grey hair, with kind eyes framed by a pair of circular wire-framed glasses. The man was short and lean and was dressed in a crisp deep blue suit.

"Please, come and sit down," he said pleasantly before he turned to walk to his own seat.

Sara and Urey exchanged pleased smiles before they followed to join their daughter, who had already sat down in the middle of the couch. The Headmaster waited until all three of them were seated and comfortable before he began.

"So, let me be the first to welcome you to our school Winry dear," he said with a pleasant, crinkle-eyed smile.

Winry gave him a pleasant-enough smile in return. She got a good feeling from the man, he had an odd grandfatherly feeling from him and he seemed to radiate only good vibes. She never really remembered any of her grandfathers, either deceased or too far away to visit frequently, but this, Winry thought, is what a grandfather should be like.

"Thank you Mr.…?" Winry said after a moment's pause and a small jab in the ribs from her mother.

"Grumman. And your welcome," he added before turning his attention back to Winry's parents.

Winry drifted off during this part in the conversation and turned to stare out the large window behind the desk. His window was facing the river, a great view too look at but with nothing really interesting after you stared at it every day. She only realized that they were talking to her when her father gave her a good tap on the head.

"Huh?"

"He's going to go show us you're dorm room," Sara said with a smile but Winry could see the stern look she was giving her in her blue eyes.

"W-what?" Winry asked in confusion; she was pretty sure that this was _not_ normal behavior for a Headmaster of a large school.

"Oh it's no trouble," Grumman said with a small wave of his hand, as if he knew what was going through her head. "You see, my granddaughter attends here and she is in fact in on the same floor as you! I haven't had a chance to say hello to her so I thought that, since I have some free time, now was as good as a time as any."

"Oh, okay."

The walk to the East Dorm took about twenty minutes; Headmaster Grumman gave them a tour of the surrounding land as they made their way towards the dorm. Just a bit behind the Administration building was a large, three story building closely surrounded by a few small buildings.

"Ah, yes that is South Dorm. Each dorm has three buildings for classes and then a fourth for a separate library and although just because you live in East dorm does not mean all your classes would be in the east buildings. There is also a cafeteria near each dorm. You may also join friends from other dorms and go to their cafeteria too."

Just passed South Dorm, Winry could make out a large sports stadium and two-story building about half the length of the South Dorm. Grumman informed them that the building was a workout room and sports gym where indoor sports games might be held; he added that there was another building just like it on the very north-west side of the campus. As the group began to near another small building, Grumman happily informed them that they had just passed one of the East Dorm classrooms. Winry could clearly make out the large, four story structure in front of her but as the began to walk towards the front door, she noticed something strange-looking

"Headmaster," Winry felt weird calling him Mr. Grumman for some unknown reason, "what's that thing?"

A large, dome-structure popped out over the land, intriguing Winry. She could make out something that looked like another small building near it. Was it a dorm? Because if it was, it was a very odd looking one.

"Ah, that is Central Dorm," he said with a small grimace. "Strange, I know. The last headmaster decided to renovate every dorm but only ever got to Central."

"Do you plan on continuing with it?"

"No. Not until it is necessary. All of the dorms are up to code and contain both excellent heating and air conditioning so I see no reason why I should tear down a piece of history."

"Well then why did the other Headmaster do it?"

"Hmm…I'm not sure. But all that's it's done is put a nice big debt onto this school and give the students of Central an unnecessary feeling of superiority." He then turned around to look at Winry directly. "I like to think that all of out students are equal, human beings. I make it so that all students must go to another dorm area for at least one class for a reason; I want my students to mingle and co-exist with other students. But that damned building has made it hard for some…"

He then turned and began to walk towards the entrance of East dorm. After a moment of staring off at the round walls and the dome of Central dorm, Winry followed her parents and Grumman inside.

An old and ornate archway sat in front of the doors, creating a small awning before the door. As Winry walked under it, she could have sworn she caught someone or something sitting on top; something the color of molten gold caught the light and shined in her eyes, impairing her vision. Whatever it was, she could not tell.

After passing through a vestibule, they entered a common room of sorts with two old televisions in opposite corners, a pool table, and an air hockey table, several vending machines, along with many comfy chairs, rickety tables, and clearly used couches. Three teens sat in one of the corners in front of a television and waved to the Headmaster.

"This is where you and friends can hang out Winry," he added as they began to walk down a hallway that branched off of the large room. "It's opened at all times of the night and day but you should remember to be courteous of the other people in the building if you are down here at an odd time."

"I will," Winry said with a small smile and a nod.

"Good. Now down this hallway there is our laundry room," Winry poked her head into the plan room to see that yes, it was a laundry room with ten washers and dryers, "and we do have a small kitchen in here incase you feel the need to make something." The room next door had three beat up looking stoves and an industrial sized sink.

Down the hall was a set of steps next to an old elevator. Winry had been informed earlier that her room was on the third floor of the building; they entered the decrepit elevator after Grumman made a mention of his aching knees.

The third floor hallway had off-white colored walls with shiny wood floors. Large handmade banners and posters declared welcome back to a new school year while other laminated signs held reminders of dorm etiquette such as no drinking of alcohol, smoking, overly loud behavior past curfew (eleven o'clock at night), or any sexual activities would be permitted; Winry noticed that a few people had already begun to write over the laminated signs with ideas of their own. The hall was very quiet but Winry could faintly make out a few voices and a few different cords of music from different rooms. Finally they arrived at Winry's designated room; room 314.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Grumman said as he motioned to the door across the hall from Winry's, "this is my granddaughter's room. I'm sure she'll be happy to meet you Winry."

She nodded and leaned shyly in the doorway to her room. Grumman knocked three times on the door and instantly received a reply of "coming!" from a young female voice.

"Hello Riza dear," he said with a warm smile as the door opened.

Riza, it turned out, was also sixteen years old and had shoulder length blond hair as well. She had odd, round amber eyes with her hair cut to create feathered bangs across her forehead. She was dressed in plain blue-jeans with a black tank top, a white dress shirt unbuttoned and thrown over it. She was just about Winry's height but with a slightly curvier body, Winry noticed.

"Grandfather!" she exclaimed in surprise at the sight of the man but accepted his hug none the less. "What are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet for tea this Saturday?"

"Oh we still are but I had some free time in my schedule. I was just escorting one of our newest students to her room and since its right across from yours I thought it might be nice to see you."

"Oh, alright," Riza said. Winry couldn't help but notice that she looked slightly uncomfortable with her grandfather and she kept shooting nervous glances down the hall and at Winry.

"This is Winry Rockbell," he said, stepping back out of the way for a moment, "and this is my granddaughter Riza Hawkeye."

"Hi," Winry said nervously.

"Hello," she said with a pleasant nod before turning to her grandfather. "Um, I just got back today so I really need to get my things in order before Rebecca shows up tomorrow."

"Oh yes, Becky the wild child," he said with a chuckle. "Did you get over here alright?"

"Yes I did grandfather."

"Am I wrong to assume that your father did not take you here?" he asked in a slightly disapproving tone.

"You are not wrong," she said with a sigh. "But it's only a fifty-minute cab ride; I've been doing it since I was twelve, I was _fine_."

"Alright then, go on and finish your organization."

"Goodbye-oh and it was nice meeting you Winry," Riza said with a tight smile before disappearing behind her door.

Grumman continued to chuckle for a moment to himself before he turned to face Winry and her parents.

"For some reason, she doesn't want her little friends to know that she is the granddaughter of the Headmaster," he said with a shrug. "Silly girl. But, please enjoy your time here. I believe your bags have been delivered here already and I'm relatively sure that your roommate has not arrived yet."

"Thank you so much," Sara said with a smile.

"Oh it was not trouble."

"Bye," Winry said quietly.

He gave them all a small wave before he turned and departed down the hallway, whistling. Winry took a deep breath before she placed the small key her parents had passed to her on the way to her building into the keyhole and opened the door.

The room was plan and simple. Two bunk beds sat pressed against the west wall. On the opposite wall sat two wooden desks pressed against each other; each built with curved privacy walls. To the right of the desks was a tall cupboard looking thing; when Winry opened it, she found empty shelf's made to store food items. Across from the cupboard was a small door that led to a dingy-looking bathroom containing a tiny shower, toilet and sink with a grimy mirror. Next to the bunk beds was a large wooden wardrobe; when Winry opened it she found that a piece of plywood separated the entire wardrobe down the middle; even the draws were divided. In the corner opposite the bunk beds and next to the desks, sat a small, fingerprint smudged mini-fridge. Right in front of the beds lay a heap of luggage; Winry's things.

"Well this is pretty nice!" Urey exclaimed. "You've even go your own bathroom; that'll be nice and convenient."

Winry did have to admit to herself that yes, a bathroom was a very nice thing to have. The room was a lot nicer than she had ever expected. Winry had expected communal showers and rules against even eating in the rooms. Maybe this would not be as bad as she anticipated.

"Let's get to unpacking," her mother said with a smile.

But Winry did not want to unpack all of her things. She got the feeling that her roommate had been coming to school here for a while, as most kids did, and that might mean she had preferences to bed or desk sides. Maybe she would ask Riza across the hall if she knew the girl who would be rooming with her. For the mean time, she entertained her parents with putting things on a side of the wardrobe and placing some personal items on a desk near the window. The only things Winry felt comfortable unpacking was her brand new coffee pot that her father had bought her as a going away gift and placed that on top of the fridge along with a few snacks she wanted to bring and placed them in the cupboard.

"Well, I think it's time that we should be going," her mother said sadly about an hour later.

Winry immediately ran forwards and embrace her mother tightly. As soon as she had laid eyes on the school all of her annoyance and anger had disappeared and was replaced by fear and nerves. She had never done anything like this before and she just wished her parents realized how hard this was going to be for her.

"It'll be okay sweetie," Sara whispered as she stroked her daughters' hair; Sara knew that her daughter had begun to cry or was at least close to crying now. "You can call us everyday and every night, no matter what time it is; we'll try our best to pick up our phones."

Winry nodded before turning and reaching out to her father to join their hug. He gave her a tight squeeze before he started to soothingly rub her back.

"Please call us tonight and tell us that you have everything," Urey said. "We can always drop things off at the Post Office tomorrow morning before we leave but it'll be hard to send you something you forgot after that."

"Uh-huh," Winry sniffed. She had plans to triple and quadruple check her things again once her parents left anyhow.

"And you remember your pin number right?" her mother asked.

"Yeah."

"Good. And remember not to go on too many shopping sprees," her mother joked. "We'll put money into your account every month but if you run out, it's your fault okay?"

"Uh huh."

"We love you so much Winry," her father said, looking down at her. "We're not sending you here because we don't trust you or because we don't want you to come with us."

"We know you'll have a great time here," Sara said. "And if you really do have a bad time here, you can call Granny and she can transfer you out and you can stay there with her."

"Why can't I just stay at Paninya's apartment?" Winry asked for probably the hundredth time this month, thinking of her best friend back home.

Her friend had offered to let her stay with her but she lived in an apartment by herself in a bad neighborhood that her parent's did not feel safe letting their only daughter live in. Truthfully, Winry did not feel so safe living there either but knew it would be her only chance to continuing living in the town.

"You'll be fine Winry," her mother said, completely ignoring her request; which was understandable since she stopped saying 'no' two weeks ago, Winry didn't expect them to let her but just thought she might try again.

They continued to hug their daughter for several more minutes before they departed, teary-eyed and repeatedly sending 'l love you's and 'I'll miss you's back and forth until her parents turned the corner in the hall, leaving Winry alone.

* * *

**Poor Winry, :'( I'd be pissed and sad if I had to be dumped at some boarding school while my parents got to go traveling.**

**I'd like to make a note that in Novemeber, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) begins and I will be awfully busy with my own novel so some of my fanifcs may suffer; this one will not. I have a few chapters stock-piled for this story so that my update will be regular. For those who are new to me, my updates (lately because of school) are between two and three weeks.**

**So, please leave a comment and tell me what you thought about the chaper! : )**

**-FSK**


	2. New Friends

**Hi everyone! :D Thanks a ton to all of the reviews I got last chapter; I'm glad to see that so many people liked the idea of the story!**

**I'm sorry for the long wait for this one but I've been super busy with NaNoWriMo lately and since I have almost reached the goal of 50,000 words, I felt it was safe to take a break and update this next chapter. :)**

**I'd like to thank my friend Dani for being my awesome editor and helping me with this chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Winry collapsed onto the bottom bunk of the bed and tried her best to stop her flowing tears. She still cried an awful lot for a sixteen-year-old and most of the time it got annoying but she felt like now was a good time and reason to cry. Her parents had just left and she probably would not see them again until next summer at best. She was not sure how long she sat on the bed but some time later, someone knocked on the door.

Wiping the tears from her face, Winry got up and walked to the door.

"Hello."

It was Riza.

"Um, hi."

"Have you, um, finished unpacking yet?" she asked, sounding completely awkward when it came to coming up with small talk.

"No. I was kinda hoping you might help me with it though. Do you know my roommate?"

"Uh yeah," Riza said, sounding relived at the change of subject. "Her name's Sheska and she's one of my friends."

"Do you know what side of the desk that she likes or what bed she would rather have?"

Riza gave her another tight smile before she nodded and said, "I can help you with everything. She's had this room from two years now and I know what she'd like."

"Oh good," Winry said, stepping out of the way to let Riza enter.

"Oh cool! You have a coffee pot," Riza said, pointing to the new piece of technology. "I have one but the guys are always harping on me because it's so old."

"The guys?"

"Oh, they're some of my friends. I'm sure they'll be here soon and then I'll introduce you to them."

"Alright."

"Sheska doesn't care about what desk she get's by the way," Riza added pointing to her items on the desk by the window. "But she does really prefer the bottom bunk. Is that alright?"

"Yeah I didn't really care."

"Good because one time in freshmen year, her old roommate was goofing around after she had gone to sleep and then she surprised Sheska and Sheska just face planted out of the bed."

Winry had to laugh at this but wondered in the back of her mind what happened to her old roommate.

"I heard it across the hall and it was about two o'clock in the morning on a weeknight and Sheska freaked out so loudly she woke up the entire floor and the RA had to come and settle everything down."

"Well I gladly take the top bunk if she doesn't try and scare me like that."

Together the two began to put things away into their designated spot and within a half an hour, most of the things where put away. During this time, Riza decided to inform Winry on a few of her friends.

"Roy, Maes, and Jean have got one of the few three-person rooms on the floor; there are three on each floor and their on the other side of the floor," Riza informed her. "Roy and Jean are always goofing around and breaking rules but Maes is pretty level headed."

Winry could only ever really nod whenever Riza stopped talking. She never really had trouble making friends but it just felt as if she was breaking into a tight nit of friends instead of actually making friends on her own. It felt wrong and weird but having someone to talk to was probably better than no one at all.

"My roommate is my best friend, Rebecca. She's…kinda crazy, but nice once you get to know her," Riza let out a small sigh. "She's always getting me into _something_."

Suddenly, a loud, high pitched noise began to reverberate down the long corridor. Winry felt alarmed at the noise but she became confused when Riza hung her head and began to rub her temples.

"What is it? Did someone pull a fire alarm?" Winry asked in alarm.

"No…but I'm sure you'll find out what it is in a moment."

Suddenly, several pairs of feet began to quickly make their way down the hallway; in truth it sounded more like a stampede.

"_RRRIIIIIIIZZZAAAA!"_ someone shouted, by the pitch of the voice Winry had to guess it was a girl who shouted.

"Oh boy…" Riza groaned.

Winry wanted to question her again but before she could even open her mouth, her answer came bursting in through the partially opened door and pouncing into the room onto Riza, who dodged skillfully.

"Rebecca, what the Hell are you doing here?"

"I got here early!"

"Clearly. But here I thought I would get a day of peace and quiet before you came bursting through. How did you get here anyways? I'm sure you would have been screaming into your cell phone if you got a car."

"No, I didn't get a car," Rebecca pouted. "We road-tripped it here!"

"_We_?" Riza asked uncertainly.

"Oh yeah. Last night Roy and Havoc came barging into my house and practically kidnapped me!"

"Bec, I highly doubt anyone could kidnap you."

"Well…they did barge into my house and ended up crashing on my couch in the living room! They ate almost _all_ the food in my house!"

"Did Maes tag along?"

"Nope. Apparently his parents surprised him with a last minute, end-of-summer trip to_ Florida_."

"Spoiled brat," Riza scoffed before turning to see Winry sitting on the floor, looking slightly lost and confused. "Oh Rebecca, this is Winry Rockbell; she's gonna be Sheska's new roommate this year."

"Hey Winry!" Rebecca squealed. "Rebecca Catalina!"

"Hi," Winry said with a smile before she took in the loud teen's appearance.

Rebecca appeared to be around the same height as Winry and Riza but her hair was dark and wavy. She had big, dark eyes and was a bit skinnier than Riza was. She wore an explosion of color that would catch anyone's eyes: a bright red, knitted winter hat with yellow puff balls on them, a lime green three-quarter shirt, violet shorts, a long deep blue skinny tie, a bubble-gum pink belt wrapped around her waist, gold and yellow thigh-high socks, and knee-high black boots.

"Ugh, what is that throw-up of color that you call an outfit?" Riza asked, seeming to finally notice her friend's completely outrageous outfit.

"_Rizzy_! It's tradition!" Rebecca exclaimed, throwing hands into the air.

"Never call me that again," Riza warned in a stern voice.

"Whatever. But remember? I always wear the most colorful outfits I can find where them until school starts! We have to where those annoying uniforms all the time, I need some color to hold me over."

Winry let out a small groan as she remembered that the school did indeed have a uniform. Her parents had ordered her the needed clothes from the school website and it was supposed to be delivered to her room here any day now.

"Hey are your bags there yet?" Riza asked, motioning to the room across the hall.

"Uh, not sure. Jean just kinda gunned it in here and I'm not even sure if they realized we were students."

"Well let's get over there," Riza asked as she pushed herself from off of the ground; Rebecca following in her actions. When Riza reached the doorway, she turned around to look at Winry. "You coming or not?"

Winry blinked in confusion for a moment before she realized that they were both talking to her and inviting her to come along. She smiled gratefully before she got up off the floor and walked across the hall with them.

Their room had the same layout except this one had a slightly less cold feeling to it; as if it had been lived in over the summer. Winry assumed that the main reason for this feeling was coming from the small potted plant sitting on the widow sill, the lower bed completely made with personal accents, a desk already filled with pens and stationary, and the mostly stocked cupboard.

It turned out that Rebecca's thing had been delivered to her room in the time that she spent with Riza in her room because three large suitcases, all in different neon colors, and several boxes sat next to the bed.

"So you said Roy and Jean are here too?" Riza asked, sitting in her swivel chair slowly rotating back and forth; Winry sat down on a purple beanbag chair Rebecca had just tossed across the room as she unpacked.

"Yeah."

"Where are they then? I heard them _stampeding_ down the hall with you."

"They're probably just tossing all of the crap around the room and then they'll be here in a minute."

As Rebecca placed her clothing on the empty side of the wardrobe, Riza and Winry picked around a box labeled 'Food', commenting on good or bad choices in snacks.

"Hey Bec, where's your microwave?" Riza asked looking around at other book labels.

"Um, I think my mom tossed it in the box labeled 'Crap'."

"Great labeling system you have there Bec."

"There are two boxes labeled 'Crap'," Winry muttered with a smile.

"Well I have a bunch of crap," Rebecca responded. "I also have another two boxes labeled 'Stuff' if you want to comment on that too."

"Awesome," Riza mumbled sarcastically before she pulled another box towards her and opened it. "Hey I found it!"

"Sweet. Plug it in and put some pop corn in it; I'm_ starving_! Those cheapskates Mustang and Havoc barely even fed me during the trip!"

"How long was it again?" Riza asked as she unwrapped the plastic from the microwave popcorn.

"Ten freaking hours," Rebecca sighed. "Ugh, I swear I was about a minute away from shooting your boyfriend."

Winry's ears couldn't help but perk up at this news. She turned to look at Riza, whose face had taken on a particularly bright shade of red.

"He is not my boyfriend," Riza mumbled as she stuffed the popcorn bag into the microwave and slammed the door shut.

"Who?" Winry couldn't help but ask.

"Roy. Mustang," Rebecca said with a smirk.

"What about _your_ boyfriend Becca?" Riza shot with an identical smirk. "How was _Jean?"_

"Huh?"

"He is _totally not_ my boyfriend alright?" Rebecca yelled as her face flushed. "Like I'd _ever_ be attracted to that smoking bag of teen hormones!"

"Me thinks thou doth protest too much," Riza muttered with a nod of her head, earning a giggle from Winry.

"What about you Win?" Rebecca asked quickly. "You go anyone at home?"

"Uh, no. Not at all," Winry muttered, feeling her cheeks start to burn; she had never had a boyfriend before and always felt ostracized from the other giggling girls at her school who talked non-stop about dates and boys.

"Well we'll just have to fix that," Rebecca said. "Who do you think we should hook her up with Riza?"

"Hmm, I don't know."

"W-what?" Winry asked in confusion; they were already trying to play match maker.

"What about Russell? He's cute."

"I don't know. He is a year younger than us."

"Do you care about age Winry?" Rebecca asked her.

"Um, n-not really…?"

"A year younger isn't that much of a difference!"

"Well then what about Al?" Riza asked.

"Nah, Al's too much of a sweetie. What type of guy do you like Winry?"

"Uh, I don't really know," Winry said, feeling out of place with the bombardment of boy-related questions.

"Hmm…wait! I got it!" Rebecca exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

"Who?"

"_Ed_! Duh!"

A look of sudden realization came to Riza's face before her face split into a grin.

"Ah! That's perfect!"

"Wait. Do you think he'd ever leave the library for a girlfriend?"

"Ohh…that'll be a problem," Riza said with a chuckle.

"But once he sees her pretty face," Rebecca bent down and scrunched Winry's face in one hand from under her jaw before she proceeded to give it a little shake, "he'll fall head over heals and out of that library."

Riza snorted at the face Rebecca had created on Winry's face before she reached out for the bag of finished popcorn from inside the microwave. After giving it a quick shake, Riza pulled it open, steam billowing in front of Riza's face. Before any of the girls could say anything else about potential match-ups, loud stomping noises began to make their way down the hallway; _fast._

The bedroom door burst open like a gunshot as it slammed against the wall, making Winry jump in surprise.

"I SMELL POPCORN!" two male voices shouted in unison before they jumped forwards in an attempt to grab the popcorn in Riza's hands.

"AGH!" Riza yelled as two teenage boys jumped towards her, knocking her to the ground.

"What the Hell you guys?" Rebecca yelled before she jumped into the dog pile and began to force the two off of Riza while Winry stood utterly confused in front of the open door, unsure if she should try to run for it or not.

Winry saw Riza's reach out for something as she attempted to fight off the two manic teenaged boys. Her hand finally dug around into a bad that Winry had to assume was hers and pulled something out lightning fast.

"_AH!_" Yelled the dark haired boy.

"_Riza! What the Hell!_" Screamed the blond.

"We are not dogs!"

"Well you could have fooled me!" Rebecca shouted.

Winry could see clearly now what Riza had pulled from her purse: it was a small water gun and had obviously shot water at the two boys who were now damp in places.

As the two boys opened their mouth to argue, Riza aimed her gun at their faces threateningly, stopping them before another protest could come out of their mouths.

"Hey," the blond said as he pointed to Winry, "who's the broad?"

Riza hit him on the head with the butt of her gun before she answered him.

"That's Winry and she's going to be Sheska's new roommate."

"Oh."

"Winry, these two idiots are Jean Havoc," Riza pointed to the blond haired and blue-eyed boy, "and Roy Mustang," she then pointed to the dark haired and dark-eyed one.

Jean Havoc appeared to be the definition of a country boy with his sandy-blond hair that resembled a bird's nest and light blue eyes. He was rather tall, had a slightly muscular build, and absolutely reeked of cigarettes; but when he smiled, he revealed to Winry startlingly white teeth. He wore rather dirty faded blue jeans with a rip in one of the knees and a band t-shirt with muddy sneakers. On his head he wore a lopsided (almost to the point of sliding off his head) blue and white stripped knit hat with a pom-pom topping it similar to the one that Rebecca wore.

Roy Mustang was Asian and had jet black, almost blue, hair with obsidian almond-shaped eyes. He was about a head shorter than Jean but taller than any of the girls by a few inches. He had a similar build as Jean with a muscular but not too muscular body. He wore a tight black t-shirt, red flannel pajama pants with white and blue sneakers.

"Hi," Winry said with a little wave to the two boys.

"Hey," Roy mumbled as he stuffed his face with a handful of popcorn.

"Sup Mama," Jean said with a devious smirk; Rebecca and Riza rolled their eyes at him.

Winry had been here just over two hours and she had already become friends with four other crazy kids. Maybe her Mom and Dad were right and she would have a good time here…or maybe they were completely wrong. It was a chance Winry was just going to have to take.

* * *

**I loved writing Jean and Roy flipping out... Hell, I loved writing this entire chapter! :D**

**I'm sure I'll be updating a lot quicker once NaNo's over and I hope all of you stick around to read the rest of the epic story. :)**

**Please send a review my way and thanks a bunch for reading!**

**-FSK**


	3. Love at First Sight

**Hello everyone! **

**Thank you to all of you who set me a review last chapter and I'm glad you all liked last chapter so much and were patient with my late update last time. ^^**

**So, here's chapter three and again, I'd like to thank my editor, Dani, for her contiuing help on this and my other stories. :) Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"So I heard you had an interesting ride down here," Riza commented about twenty minutes later and after three more bags of popcorn were devoured along with several energy drinks and sodas.

"Just peachy," Roy said sarcastically. "Remind me never to do it again."

"What did you guys do?" Winry asked as she munched on a cookie.

"Don't tell me Jean drove all the way from Omaha to Chicago," Riza pleaded.

"_Hell no_!" Jean yelled indignantly. "I'm pretty sure I was about to kill these two when we were about three hours away from here. I took a _plane_ from Omaha to Chicago and then crashed at Roy's for the night. Oh, and remind _me_ not to sleep over Roy's ever again."

"How bad was it?" Riza asked with an evil smile playing on her face.

"_Horrid_," Jean said with a shudder. "There were just tons and tons of little screaming kids all over the places! J-just, yelling and laughing and crying and…_AH_! They wouldn't let me sleep!"

"What?" Winry asked in confusion.

"Oh right, forgot you didn't know. You see, Roy lives with his aunt at a foster home."

"And there are always tons of little kids there," Roy mumbled as he rubbed his temples.

Winry wasn't quite sure what to do. Should she feel sorry for him? Or should she side step that tiny detail. He probably didn't like the pity he got from it.

"You don't have to feel so weird about it," Roy commented with a small smirk on his face.

"Huh?" Winry asked, snapping out of her daze to find that all of them were staring at her.

"I know what you're thinking; 'poor orphan boy living in a foster home', right?"

"N-no!"

Roy let out a good hearted laugh.

"You don't have to feel all awkward about it, I hardly remember my parents," Roy said with a small smile that did not reach his eyes before he began to chug another energy drink.

"But anyways, I swear! The kids multiply!" Jean exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air, getting back to the main point in the conversation. "How many are there?"

"Same as there was for the passed three years: five."

"No way, there had to be at least ten when I was there."

"They do have friends after all dumb-ass. It is summer vacation."

"Whatever man, it was crazy. And then we made our way down to Memphis to pick up this crazy thing," Jean said with a jab at Rebecca.

"Ugh," Roy groaned. "That was the longest fucking car ride I've ever had. Twenty-something freaking hours! Why did we even pick up this harpy?"

"Hey-!" Rebecca began to yell before she was cut off by Jean.

"I didn't hear you complain that much when we agreed on it! We could have not gone and kept going!"

"We still would have ended up here an entire day early! Before anyone got here and it would have been as boring as our history class last year!"

"How would you two even remember history class last year?" Rebecca shouted. "You slept through every class!"

Winry couldn't help but laugh at the arguing teens. It was comical to see three head strong and obviously stubborn people go at it. Riza seemed to have given up because the arguing went on for several more minutes until all of them ran out of steam.

"Hey Roy," Riza called from her bed minutes later, "you wouldn't know if Ed's seeing anyone right now?"

"Well I don't know since the little punk never answers his freaking phone but I can only assume that the answer is a definitive no. Why?"

"Because we think Win over here would be a perfect match up for him," Rebecca said.

"Hmm…"Jean muttered as he stared intently at Winry. "Would you mind if all of your dates are in the library?"

"And your wedding," snickered Roy.

"Because if you date him that's the only place you'll see him."

"But seriously, that kid needs to get _laid_," Roy mumbled.

"Oh like you've ever gotten laid before," scoffed Rebecca, causing Roy's face to redden.

"Well…like, he needs _something_ to loosen him up!" Roy yelled, voice cracking.

"That is true," Jean agreed.

"Besides, are you guys seriously gonna try and play matchmaker? Wouldn't you be stepping into Maes' territory?"

"We can't hurt anyone by trying!" Rebecca exclaimed.

"Oh yes you can," Jean said in an oddly serious voice. "Remember freshmen year when you tried to set me up with Chloe Michaels? Yeah, that turned out _great_."

"Oh come on Havoc! It's not like you're the first guy to get a restraining order put on them!"

"Those kinds of things get put on permanent records you know!"

"Like you care about your permanent record," Rebecca scoffed. "That's exactly why your parents shipped you here in the first place!"

"Well okay, but I still feel bad about breaking her leg… and what happened to her dog."

"Legs heal; dogs…well most dogs have particularly short memories anyways."

"Not all of them do," Roy commented. "I think anything would remember _that _happening."

"Well if it was stupid enough to listen to Jean I think it would be stupid enough to forget," Riza said. "Unless they had to put it down or give it away…"

"Wait," Winry said, now extremely intrigued. "What happened?"

"We are _not _speaking about that!" Jean yelled, clamping a hand on both Rebecca's and Roy's mouths.

Riza smiled at Winry and mouthed the word 'later' to her.

"I saw that!"

"Whatever," Riza mumbled. "But do you know if Ed and Al are even here yet?"

"Nope," answered Roy. "There door was closed when we passed but they might just be somewhere else…"

* * *

"Brother? Brother are you in here?" Alphonse Elric asked as he maneuvered his way around the stacks of books and book shelves.

"Yeah Al!" a voice called out from somewhere near by. "Over here!"

"Where's 'here'?"

"Ugh…just stay put and I'll be there in a minute."

Alphonse walked over to the small reading table and sat down. He and his older brother had only gotten back to the Academy last night and his brother was already knee deep into the school's many extensive libraries. It couldn't be helped Alphonse guessed.

Alphonse Elric was a skinny fifteen-year old with sandy blond hair and golden-brown eyes. He was about average height and weight for a fifteen-year old boy too. He was already considered a kind and polite boy but when compared to against his bad-mouthed, temperamental older brother, Al looked like a saint.

"There you are Al."

Al looked up and saw his brother, or to put it correctly, a stack of books with a pair of legs that belonged to his brother walking towards him. Reaching the table, Edward slowly began to replace the books one by one onto the table, slowly revealing his face.

Edward Elric was a lean boy of sixteen. He had hair and eyes the color of gold, his hair falling to about mid-back was pulled into his customary pony tail, and was about the same height as his brother. Both he and his brother Alphonse were astonishingly bright but while Alphonse seemed to have all of the personality and people skills, in the world, Edward never seemed to be able to get along with many people; it was a wonder how he had friends at all.

"I take it you found something useful?" Al asked, sounding amused once he counted ten books piled onto the stack.

"Maybe. But I wanted to ask you if you're sure you want to be here so early," Ed asked, looking sternly at his younger brother.

"Ed, I'm already here. What do you think?"

"I mean," Ed said with a sigh before he lowered his voice, "you could still fly back and go take care of her for a few more days before term starts. I would have done it but I got a letter that they got a brand new shipment of books over the summer and I needed to check them out."

"Ed, she'll be fine. Dad's home too you know," Al reminded him.

"Yeah but for how long?" Ed asked as be begun to angrily shove the stack of books back into his arms. "How long will it before Dad's asked away somewhere for a while, leaving her all alone to fend for herself huh?"

"Ed, what's the matter with you?" Al asked; concern at the forefront of his voice. "You've just been so mad with Dad recently. Why? I mean, yeah sometimes he has to leave but he only does whenever Mom's doing alright."

"Yeah but what if one day, when we're here and Dad's out doing whatever the Hell he does and Mom has another attack? Huh?" Ed asked angrily, turned to glare at his brother in his wide, round eyes. "What'll happen then? Who's going to call for an ambulance when she's alone and unconscious?"

Ed stared at his silent brother for another moment before he readjusted his stack of books before he began to walk towards the check out desk. Ed had gotten almost out of earshot when Al spoke again.

"Well then why the Hell are we here Brother?" Al asked, stopping Ed. "If you're so concerned about mom then why are we here?"

"…because I have to," Ed answered. "It's the only thing I can do Al and you know it. I can't stand to just sit there in the house and watch Mom slowly deteriorate day after day. You and Dad might be able to do that but _I_ just _can't_."

"But Brother…do you really think you can find a cure for her?" Al asked quietly with his head downturned; Ed knew that he was fighting tears now. "I mean, I really want us to be able to but…it's just that no doctor we've taken her to has known how to cure her so how should we."

"Because we're motivated more than any doctor on the planet. This is _our_ Mom Alphonse and if they won't save her, we have to do it ourselves."

Alphonse nodded sadly at his determined brother and followed him towards the check out counter. The middle-aged lady who sometimes worked there at the library and remembered Ed and Al very well, started a small conversation with the two boys for a few moments before she let the boys go. The walk from the East Library to their dorm was always a quick one but halfway between the buildings, Al's voice stopped Ed in his tracks.

"Ed," Al said quietly as he struggled for words.

"Alphonse," Ed said as he turned to face his brother. "Not now. We'll talk later alright?"

"But…"

"I just don't want to talk about this all in the middle of this field in broad daylight, okay?"

"Okay," Al said with a small sigh.

The common room was nearly empty as Ed and Al walked through and over to the stairs. Ed could hear a few voices travel through the concrete walls of the stairwell but hoped that none of his friends had arrived yet; the main reason for coming to the Academy so early was to avoid the masses that usually swarmed the campus and get some reading done in fresh air and peace and quiet.

A mere glance at the door to room 308 told Ed and Al that Russell and Fletcher had still yet to arrive yet. They were Al's best friends here and Ed liked to hang out with them, mainly because the other two brothers could keep up in an academic argument with Ed. Once they had reached room 311, Al pulled out his own key and unlocked the door. Before entering the room, Ed could hear loud voices coming form down the hall; he could see that the door to Riza and Rebecca's room was wide open and a few loud female voices were floating over towards him.

Ed and Al had only been in their room for about twelve hours now and it already looked like they been there for months. Ed's desk was filled with paper, pens, and books that threatened to fall onto the floor at any moment. Their beds looked slept in and were unmade. A few articles of clothing sat around the empty clothes bin and several half-unpacked bags and boxes lay around the floor.

"You know, you really need to start tidying up brother," Al sighed as he placed the dirty clothes into the clothes bin.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get to it later," Ed muttered before he collapsed in his cushy desk chair and began to dig into one of his newest books.

"Ed," Al said sternly.

Ed looked up from his book after a moment and looked into his younger brother's wide eyes.

"Al I know that it's a hard decision but…but I want to feel as if I'm doing something to help mom okay? I know that we could be helping her in another way but I want to know that I tried my best to try and cure her."

"I know…" Al sighed. "But I can tell Mom wishes we were around more."

"Well like I said Al, you didn't have to fly with me yesterday; you could have flown in another time."

"You know I don't like flying alone," Al said sheepishly causing Ed to smile lightly at his brother.

"Well Alphonse, I really think that I may have found out a possible diagnosis for Mom, alright?" Ed said earnestly. "That's why I wanted to come earlier than usual. These books that I got out from the library may help to back up my research."

Al sighed before he nodded. Ed hated not only the guilty feelings he brought upon himself but the guilt he brought his brother by practically forcing him to choose where he should stay.

"I'm gonna go for a walk around campus," Al said. "Maybe I'll see if anyone's here yet."

"Oh I'm sure that some of them are here," Ed muttered as he opened up his book from before and began to read, "I'm pretty sure I heard a few of them down the hall."

"Maybe I'll go say hi," Al said as he left the room, leaving Ed alone to think.

* * *

"Okay so before I agree to this whole set-up plan," Winry began. "Can I at least know what the kid looks like first?"

"Why not," Rebecca said with a shrug as she pulled out her phone and began to flip through all of her pictures.

"Does anyone have a decent picture of Ed? The only half-decent one I have on here he looks like a squirrel."

"Isn't that how he always looks?" Roy quipped.

"I'll find my camera," Riza said, getting up and rummaging through her purse. After a moment of waiting Riza found a good picture on her camera and handed it to Winry. "That's him at the sweet sixteen party we threw for him last year."

Winry took at the small piece of technology and stared at the picture on its screen. The face of a teenage boy was in the middle of the frame. He had long gold hair held back in a low pony tail and his round gold eyes looked almost catlike. He wore a nervous smile on his face a ghostly hand attempted to strap on a party hat. Winry's heart began to flutter the longer she stared at the picture and it was a while before she remembered that a group of people surrounded her. Looking up, she found the others staring at her expectantly, some with smirks other looking worried as if their attempted match up failed before it could even begin.

"Um yeah," Winry said, trying her best to keep her voice steady. "Yeah, I think maybe I could go out with him."

"Oh my god, Winry's totally in love with him!" Rebecca squealed as she pointed to the red flush that was quickly covering Winry's face.

"I am not! I just, I just think he's attractive is all!" Winry yelled in protest.

"You so love him," Jean said with a smirk. "Don't even try to deny it."

"It's written all over your face," Roy said.

"I don't even know the guy! How could I be in love with him?"

"It's love at first sight!" Rebecca exclaimed before letting out an ear-splitting squeal.

"Oh is Maes gonna be pissed when he finds out he missed this magical moment," Riza realized, shaking her head slightly. "He's going to throw a fit."

"Well this is what he gets for being a little rich only child!" Rebecca exclaimed before a knock sounded on their door.

"Crap, I hope it's not the RA," Riza muttered as Jean got up to answer the door.

"Hey Al!" Jean yelled before pulling Al into the room. "We didn't know you were even here yet!"

"We got here last night. When did you guys get here?" Al asked.

"I got here this morning," Riza answered.

"Me, Roy, and Rebecca got her about an hour ago."

"And who's…?" Al asked, pointing to Winry.

"Uh, I'm Winry Rockbell," she answered shyly. "I'm going to be Sheska's new roommate."

"And possibly you future sister-in-law," Roy said, earning a confused from Al and a smack from Winry.

"Huh?"

"We think that Winry would be perfect for your brother Al," Riza answered.

"Oh, but are you sure you guys should play match-maker? Remember the last time someone besides Maes tried to fix up a couple-?"

"_Yes_ Al," Jean cut across Al loudly. "We _all _remember _quiet well_ what happened so let's move on shall we?"

"Well I don't see why we shouldn't at least try," Al mumbled. "But I'm not sure if Ed would really want a girlfriend right now-uh, no offense to you Winry because I'm sure he'd like you."

"So is he hiding in his room or the library?" Roy asked, standing up.

"I'm pretty sure he's in our room," Al said jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

"Well let's go!" Rebecca yelled as she pulled Winry up by the arm.

"But…but wait! Already?"

"Yes! Don't worry, you look fine."

"That's not what I was worried about," Winry grumbled before she was dragged off down the hall by Rebecca and Roy.

* * *

**So Ed and Al finally make their appearance and there's already plenty drama enfolding. Winry's gonna get dragged into an odd situation and much, much more insanity will ensue. Does anyone wonder what the Hell happened on Jean's date? Because even I'm not sure. XD**

**Hope you all stick around for next chapter. :)**

**Please review and thanks to all who do.**

**-FSK**


	4. First Impressions

**Hello! :D NO SCHOOL TODAY! SNOW DAY!**

**But thanks for the reviews I got for last chapter, they were all much appreciated.**

**So this chapter will hold the much awaited meeting between Ed and Winry. Can you guess what's gonna happen?**

**Thanks for my editor Dani and you should definitely thank her too because there were a crap-load of mistakes in this one (sometimes I just don't feel like editing while writing...)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"_Hey Elric!_" Roy shouted as he pounded on Ed and Al's room door. "Get out here! We've got someone for you!"

"She's really pretty!" Rebecca yelled.

All the while, Winry stood, trapped in both of their clutches, blushing profusely as they continued to yell and shout her love for Edward for the entire floor, if not building, to hear.

"Um guys?" Al asked as he pushed his way to the door. "Maybe I should just open the door."

"Whatever you think is best," Roy said with a shrug.

"I don't see why your brother always locks the door," Rebecca said, sounding completely honest.

"I wonder why…" Al said, shaking his head at the scene before him. "Hey Ed!"

But the room was clearly empty. The bathroom door was wide open the light was turned off. Both of the beds and desks were clear of human beings.

"Hmm…wonder where he went," Al muttered.

"God Al, this place is like a fucking pigsty!" Jean exclaimed as kicked a soda can with his foot. "Usually it takes us at least a month for us to get it to this level-and there's three of us!"

"This is all brother, don't blame me," Al muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets before he moved forwards to examine his brother's cluttered desk.

"Ugh, I seriously hate when your brother does this Al," Jean groaned as he collapsed onto Al's bed, as if he had been running around for hours instead of five minutes.

"Does what?" Winry asked.

"Somehow, this kid can always just disappear in the blink of an eye," Rebecca said, throwing her arms into the air, exasperated. "You won't be able to find him for hours at a time sometimes!"

"I'm getting really tired of this man," Jean sighed.

"Maybe it's so he can get some peace and quiet without having to worry about people barging into his room," Al quipped with a smile.

"Maybe if he actually _wanted_ to come and hang out every now and again we wouldn't _have _to break down his door," Roy said.

"And maybe if you guys took a leaf out of Edward's book and actually took some time out of your partying schedule to study, maybe then you could understand where he's coming from," Riza said with an exasperated sigh as she leaned against one of the dorm room walls.

"I don't_ wanna _understand where that kid's coming from," Jean snorted before he rolled off his back, got into a sitting position, and stared Winry in the eyes. "Do you know what classes that kid takes? He takes like, Honors A.P Calculus and these insane medical courses that are usually only given out to pre-med students in college and shit. I mean, he's only a freaking junior. He's not right."

"I'm in A.P classes Jean," Riza remarked with a slightly deadly look. "Am I not right?"

"Of course you're not right Riza!" Jean laughed. "None of us are exactly straight edge! Look at Rebecca and that outfit she's wearing! Do you think that actually looks good or are you already wasted?"

"It's not _supposed_ to look good, you asshole."

"And you've clearly succeeded," Jean said with a nod. "But back to my point, Roy's as close as you can get to a man-whore without actually having sex-"

"_Hey!_"

"What? You are and it's best if you just don't deny it alright? Anyways, Riza's a crazy gun harpy. Rebecca's just a harpy-."

"You already said something about me!" Rebecca yelled.

"And? Did I ever say that I was only pointing one abnormality about the people in this group? Because trust me, I cold go on and on about you."

"Really Jean?" Al asked. "Because you seem to talk an awful lot about a girl you claim to despise."

There was a small silence that followed were Jean debated in his head how he should respond to that. After more than a horribly awkward moment's pause followed, Jean cleared his throat a little before continuing as if nothing had happened.

"Before one more person interrupts me, let me fucking finish. Al's too nice for his own damn good. Ed's a crazy nerd, midget thingy with a library fetish. And Winry… I'm sure Winry has lot's qualities that make her just as crazy as, or crazier than the rest of us. I mean, she's obviously crazy with her odd attraction to Ed."

Winry's face turned an odd shade of pink but she did not yell or scream at this. Maybe she knew it was best not to try and deny it.

"Are done rambling Jean because I really gotta take a piss," Roy muttered before letting out a loud belch.

"I'm getting to the point alright! Tell you weak bladder to hold it. But my point to my madness is that I don't try to understand all of your oddities so I'm not going to start to study in hopes of understanding Ed," Jean finished before he let his body fall backwards with hands under his head. "And it would be unfair to the rest of you if I tried to understand Ed but didn't try to understand anyone else and I don't want to you guys to think I like Ed more than you guys."

"Aww, how considerate of you Jean," Riza said, rolling her eyes.

"I try."

"But really, Al," Rebecca said, turning to face the sand-haired underclassman. "Do you seriously not know where your brother goes and hides?"

"I don't," Al lied. "If I did, I would tell you guys. Why don't you just try and call him; he might pick up."

"But he usually doesn't," Roy said.

"Well… why don't you guys go on an Ed hunt?" Al suggested as he began to pick up so dirties clothes from the floor to hide the slight shake in his hands that he got from lying.

"Hmm… sounds bitchin'," Rebecca admitted before springing to her feet. "Come on guys! Let's go catch us an Edward!"

"You are insane," Roy grumbled but moved towards the door all the same. "You're coming with us Win, whether you like it or not."

"Let's go," Jean said as he got up from Al's bed and gripped onto Winry's forearm.

"I can walk by myself thanks," Winry grumbled as she tried to pull out of Jean's grip. She did not like all the man-handling she had been getting over the passed hours.

"No shit," Jean muttered but didn't loosen his grip on her arm. "You coming Al?"

"Nope. I want to try and straighten this mess out before brother comes and wrecks it again."

"Suit yourself."

Al watched the group walk down the hall and disappear around the corner before he shut the door and locked it. Sighing slightly, Al willed his hand to stop shaking; he was a horrible liar and everyone knew it. He could never keep a lie for more that a day or two and could only skew the truth in hopes of gaining more time on the lie. Like when Russell and Fletcher had asked what their mother's profession was a year ago when they first arrived at the academy. Al did not want to reveal that she was deathly ill, as his orders form Edward, but could only say that she did not work and stayed at home as a house wife. It was basically true after all.

Al had always known almost all of his brother's hiding places as a child and that was still true now that they were half-way through their teens. He knew that his brother hid in hopes of having some relaxing quiet and Al could sympathize with that. If he were able to find a good enough hiding place on campus away from the prying eyes of his friends and the other students and faculty, he would but didn't seem to have the knack for it.

After he had straightened up a little of the room, Al grabbed his room key, walk out in to the hall, locked the door and headed for the stairwell. Al walked down one flight of stairs and got out onto the second floor, which was very similar to the third. He continued down the relatively empty hall until he reached a large window that showed a beautiful view of the front lawn of the East dorm. It was supposed to be closed at all times but some of the kids had figured how to open it.

Al jimmied the window open and pushed it wide enough for him to slide his body through before he stepped out onto the ledge and shut the window most of the way closed. Carefully, Al turned around so that he was facing away from the building and looked down. To his pleasure, he saw that he had once again found where his brother was hiding.

Edward had figured out how to get onto the top of the awning about a month into the school year last year and had claimed it as his spot from then on. He did not often go there during the busier parts of the day or when there were an abundant amount of students out on the lawns because they would either try and get up there and end up hurting themselves or go and try to tattle on Ed for his obvious rule breaking.

"Hey Ed!" Al called.

Ed's head swiveled to the sides before looking up and grinning slightly.

"What's up Al?" Ed yelled, leaning back onto his hands to get a better look at his younger brother.

"Um…" Al muttered as he stopped himself from slipping off of the small ledge. "You mind if I come down there for a bit?"

"Sure! Just don't slip and fall on your face!"

"Thanks brother…" Al muttered before he slowly lowered himself until he let go and let himself drop the last foot or two. When he landed, his legs shook and almost buckled under his weight. Ed got up and went to help his brother when he began to wobble to one of his sides and almost fell off of the side.

"Whoa, take it easy Al," Ed said with a worried expression. "You should have moved over a foot or two to land more centered than you did. Wouldn't have been good if you fell from that height."

"I wouldn't have died brother."

"Yeah but you would have broken something for sure and then I'd feel like shit."

"I'm sure I could have handled it. You don't need to worry that much," Al said as he took a few steps over to where Ed had been previously sitting and sat down. Ed followed his brother's lead and sat down next to him.

"So what's up?" Ed asked as he marked his spot in the book he was reading. "You don't usually come looking for me."

"Oh, right. Well, Roy, Jean, Rebecca, and Riza apparently want to set you up with this girl that transferred in and is going to be Sheska's new roommate."

"What?" Ed asked in shock and confusion. "Why?"

"I don't know. You know how they are. But they said that she thought you were cute or something," Al said as he picked at a loose shingle.

"Really?" Ed asked, perking up considerably.

Al let out a snort. He just knew that comment went straight to his brother's already inflated ego.

"Yeah," he said with a small laugh. "She's really cute too. Blond hair, blue eyes, shorter than you."

Edward brought his knees up to his chest and folded his arms on top of them before he rested his head on his arms while he thought, crinkling his brow as he did. It was a full minute before he spoke again.

"Can't do it."

"Huh?" Al asked as he snapped back into reality; he was too preoccupied by the wonderful view.

"I said I can't do it. I can't date this… this…"

"Her name's Winry," Al supplied.

"Winry," Ed said with a nod. "I can't go and date this Winry girl. I'm too busy to have things like girlfriends…"

"_Ed,_" Al said exasperatedly. "You really need to stop holding yourself up in the library or in our room or some weird hiding place of yours and actually talk to people!"

"I do talk to people Al," Ed said with a small roll of his eyes.

"Only when you have to or someone else makes you," Al said to which Ed scoffed and rolled his eyes to again. "Seriously brother! You need to quit acting like such an old hermit and actually act your age. You're sixteen years old! Not sixty!"

"And what's wrong with being a hermit?" Ed asked defensively. "What if I don't want to be your generic crazy teenager who does nothing but party and run around non-stop?"

"I'm sure you'll regret it when you're old and grey that you didn't do anything with the best years of your life," Al said sternly.

"I _am _doing something-"

"Well do something that you can't and shouldn't be doing when you're sixty!" Al cried. "Vandalize something! Run around the campus! Stay up late with friends! Ask a girl out! Do anything besides sit around the library."

Ed opened his mouth to say something to his brother but seemed to decide against it and simply shut his mouth and face forwards, staring into the horizon of the school. He then peaked over the edge of the awning and then at Al before he moved to dangle his legs over the edge.

Al watched as his brother tightly gripped the edge of the awning with both hands and lowered himself before letting himself drop the five or six feet to the ground. Al moved over so that he could see his brother get up form his crouched stance and look up at him.

"You coming or what?" Ed yelled up to him, sounding slightly angry.

"Nah," Al said with a small wave of his hand. "I think I'm just going to sit up here for a little bit longer."

"Alright," Ed said as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Just make sure you stick the landing as you come down. And make sure no one's around. Some idiot may freak if they see you."

"I got it."

Al watched his brother turn and walk towards the entrance of the building. Just as Ed was about to go inside, a thought struck Al.

"Hey Ed!"

"What?"

"Just a word of warning; the other's are going 'Ed Hunting'. Thought you ought to know."

"Thanks," Ed said, sounding tired, with a small wave and a smile before he disappeared back inside of the building.

Al turned back to look at the scenery around him. The school was beautiful and Al loved it. Sure, he missed his home and his parents but if it weren't for this wonderful school, he would have never met the friends that he had today.

_If only Ed would appreciate his friends a little more…_ Al thought sadly before he eyed the ground that lay a good six feet away.

He then followed his brother's technique and dropped to the ground after letting his body hang for a moment. When he hit the ground, he glance around to make sure no one had seen before he went in the opposite direction from his brother and strolled out onto the crisp green lawn.

* * *

The common room was empty as Edward walked through it. It was one of the few times that the common room would be completely empty. Once the kids really started showing up, the room would become packed and you would have to fight someone for a seat in front of one of the television sets and there would almost always be a line of some sort at one of the many vending machines during the day. Even in the middle of the night there will usually be one or two students staying up due to stress-induced insomnia.

He stopped in his place as he passed by the vending machines. After a moment of thought, Ed reached into his pocket and fished out his wallet before walking over to the glowing and humming machines. Once the drink was selected, if clunked down to the bottom of the machine and he bent down to pick it up. But as he unscrewed the lid of the dark soda and began to drink, a loud noise came out of no where and before he knew it, Edward was lying on his stomach on the cold floor while his drink poured out onto the linoleum floor and a great weight kept him down on the floor against his will.

"What the _fuck_?" Ed growled as he turned his head as much as he could to see who or what had attacked him, even though he had a vague idea.

"Yay!" A girl exclaimed from behind him. "We win!"

_Rebecca…_ Ed growled in his head, recognizing the voice.

"This was a lot easier than it usually is," comment a board voice from above him. Ed realized that it was Roy who had spoken and who was currently sitting on his back. "Usually we'll have to get out of the building to find him. But this time Elric was a nice little animal and stayed inside."

Roy pet, or more really slapped, the top of his head and Ed could clearly picture the smirk that was sure to be painted on his face.

"Mustang!" Ed yelled as he squirmed beneath the other teen. "Get you fat ass off of me!"

"Or what?" Roy asked with a smirk before he picked himself up slightly only to fall back down on Ed's back, causing Ed to let out a small gasp.

"Or I'll _make_ you get off of me and _then _I'll kick your ass," Edward growled as he tried to push both he and Roy up. He actually managed to lift part of his chest off of the ground, surprising Roy as he let out a small noise of surprise.

"Yikes," Jean muttered in mild surprise from somewhere out of Ed's line of vision. "Looks like the little guy's been pumping some iron."

"Alright, alright!" Roy exclaimed, sounding slightly panicked as he almost fell off of Ed as Ed lifted him off of the ground. "I'm getting off!"

Roy rolled off of Ed in what can only be described as a sideways somersault before landing gracefully on the floor, sitting Indian style. Ed quickly go up from the floor, ignoring his soda that was spilling all over the white tiles, before turning to Roy and slugging him in the side of the head.

"Ow man!" Roy cried as he clutched his head. "That fucking hurt! I think you cracked my skull!"

"And you only broke a couple of my ribs with your fat ass," Ed growled as he turned away from Roy to look at the rest of the group.

Jean and Rebecca stood at the front of the group, both looking slightly surprised with Ed's show of strength but also seemed to be silently laughing at both he and Roy. Behind the two stood Riza, who seemed to be slightly annoyed, and behind her was a girl Ed had never seen before.

She was… pretty, to say the least. He had to assume this was the girl Al had mentioned because she had blond hair and blue eyes and was indeed a good two inches shorter than him. She seemed to be a little wary of the group but he could see that she was not tied up, so he had to guess that she came of her own free will. Ed dully noticed that there was a small blush on her face.

Rebecca turned around slightly and reached out to grab the girl-

_Winry_, Ed remembered suddenly.

-to grab _Winry's _arm and pulled her forwards. Rebecca then gave her a firm push towards Ed.

"Ed," Rebecca said with a devilish smile, "this is Winry Rockbell. She's going to be Sheska's new roommate this year."

"Oh, right," Ed mumbled, thinking of what had happened with Sheska's old roommate the year before. "Forgot that she needed a new one."

"Yeah," Rebecca said, sounding slightly annoyed. "Well, seeing as we live on the same floor, you're going to be seeing a lot of her."

Winry's face turned from its faint blush to an intense red before she turned his head around and whispered something to Rebecca that only made the brunette smile more. After a moment of hushed words, Rebecca urged Winry a step closer to him and Winry turned back around to face Ed.

"So uh," Winry spoke in a soft voice. "I w-was wondering…"

_Ring… ring…_

Edward brought his attention down to his pants pocket and pulled out his red cell phone. Once he had checked to see who was calling, he looked up briefly at Winry and the others before taking a step around the group.

"Excuse me," he muttered before walking away and out of sight.

"…right," Winry sighed, sounding both disappointed and annoyed. "Talk to you later Ed."

Winry then sighed and walked away in the opposite direction, remembering vaguely that there was another door somewhere in that direction.

"What the Hell?" Rebecca growled as she stared down the hallway Ed had disappeared down.

"Told you guys it wasn't going to work," Roy commented from his spot on the floor.

"That kid is one oblivious asshole," Rebecca muttered sourly.

"Maybe I was right and the kid really is asexual," Jean mumbled as he pushed quarters into one of the vending machines. "I mean, any idiot can see that Winry's hot."

"Yes but she's not for you," Riza said as she took a step forwards with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Like she would want you anyways," Rebecca added with a smirk.

"We have to talk to that idiot," Riza sighed.

"Yeah," Rebecca said in agreement.

"Why?" Roy asked as he got up from his seat. "Why do you want to put so much effort in this kid who obviously doesn't want anything to do with any kind of relationships and another kid who you've know for all of two hours?"

"Because I feel bad that Ed is wasting away his teen years and he needs to get out there and do something," Rebecca said.

"And I happen to really like Winry," Riza added with a small glare at Roy. "She seems nice and besides, we're going to be seeing a lot of her anyhow."

"Whatever," Roy muttered. "You two can go and try and fix everything but I'm gonna go back to my room and blow some shit up on my x-box. You comin' or what Jean?"

"Hell yeah," he mumbled through a mouth full of chips. "I'm tired of all this shit."

With that, the two teenage boys left, leaving the two girls standing in front of the machines, angry.

"So who do you want to deal with first?" Riza asked her best friend with a sigh.

"Let's go find Winry," Rebecca said with a nod. "Ed's probably hiding in a broom closet and I'm pretty sure I would maim him right now if I saw him."

"Yeah, please don't maim him. I know my grandfather's forgiving but I don't think he can get you out of trouble from the police."

"Whatever," Rebecca said with a smile before she followed after Winry and towards the back door of the common room.

* * *

**So did you expect that to happen? :P**

**Next chapter there will be some interesting fighting and more crazy characters shall arrive! Can't wait for you all to read the next chapter! :D**

**See ya later!**

**-FSK**


	5. Dealing

**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! :D**

**I'm so happy because I got a new i-pod! Mine has been broken for the past few months. :(**

**But, back to story-ish news. thanks for all of the reviews I got from last chapter and a super-huge thanks to my editor for helping me with my comma problem. :( Sorry Dani...**

**So, I hope you enjoy this chapter and have a happy holidays!**

* * *

Her throat was constricting as she tried her best to keep her tears under wraps. She kept her mouth shut, breathing powerfully through her nose, as she marched quickly across the empty grounds. Her heart pounded against her rib cage and Winry knew that she would need to get more oxygen into her soon but also knew that if she opened her mouth, a sob would mostly likely come out and then it would be impossible to stop her tears.

She did not know this side of campus at all. She had only been given a brief tour of a portion of the campus and she could not remember what she had seen on the map. Winry then saw a large, wooden bridge appearing some ten yards in front of her and she quickly ran. She didn't know why she was running at all but did not question it either.

A large river rushed underneath the bridge and the green lawns slopped down to meet the clear, blue waters. Winry slipped slightly in her flip-flops as she ran down the slightly steep slope but saved herself from falling into the river. She peered under the bridge and saw, to her displeasure, that it was rather wet and spider-web infested. So instead, she saw a dry patch of grass and sat down next to the bridge.

She tried to take in a small deep breath to calm herself but she just ended up letting out a large sob. Winry quickly covered her mouth with both of her hands and looked around quickly, as if someone might have been near her and heard it.

As she forced herself to calm down, she had to question herself why did she act like this? Winry had always seemed have been a cry baby and she absolutely hated it but it was something that she just couldn't stop no matter how hard she tried.

_But why does this feel so much worse? _Winry asked herself miserably as she thought of the crushing feeling she got when Edward ran off to answer a phone call.

Winry then thought to a line her friend Paninya told her years ago when she had gotten her first crush on a boy in their grade when they were in middle school and he did not share the same feelings for her.

"…_crushes are called crushes because you literally get crushed, sometimes in more than one way."_

Winry let out a shaky sigh as she wiped away some of her falling tears, trying her best to make her heart stop hurting.

"Winry!" someone called from behind her.

"We know you're somewhere!" called another.

Winry quickly tried to clean her face and stop her erratic breathing as she recognized the two voices. As the two voices came closer and closer to Winry, she tried harder and harder to get herself under control but only seemed to be making it worse.

"Do you think she ran this far?" Rebecca asked.

"We have to keep looking Bec," Riza said. "Winry probably doesn't know where she's going and she may be lost. Now come on."

Just as Winry began to slowly move underneath the damp bridge, two sets of feet appeared and noises of surprise were exclaimed.

"Winry!" Rebecca called. "Why are you hiding under there?"

"Um…" she muttered as she slowly moved back to her original spot while brushing her hair, feeling as if it were covered in spider webs. After a moment of semi-awkwardness had passed, Winry gave a shrug and quietly forced herself to calm down.

"Hey… I guess we maybe shouldn't have forced you two together so fast," Rebecca admitted awkwardly. "We should have realized that Ed can be a real oblivious asshole sometimes."

"No," Winry said, her voice breaking slightly, with a forced smile. "It's fine. I'm over it. It doesn't matter…"

"You're not mad at us?" Riza asked quietly, who seemed rather worried that Winry might not like them anymore because of this.

"No," Winry said, forcing a small chuckle that came out sounding closer to a sob than a laugh. "I don't hate you."

Winry bit down on her bottom lip as she felt her lips begin to quiver and her eyes well up with fresh tears. A moment later, Winry let her head drop and gave up on the fight to keep her emotions in check. She could not comprehend the words spoken by Riza and Rebecca but could only assume they were comforting and slightly questioning as they both embraced her.

* * *

Edward quickly ran down the hallway until he had reached the empty laundry room; he locked the door behind him before he sat leaned against one of the many washers and answered his ringing phone.

"What?" he asked, slightly annoyed with the caller.

"_Edward_," said the voice calmly.

"What?" he repeated, sounding slightly less annoyed this time.

"_I thought I should call and tell you that I'm going to be leaving for_-"

"What?" Ed exclaimed in obvious outrage. "Why?"

"_For the same reason I do every time: for business_," Hohenheim Elric said gently into the phone.

"But-," Ed started before he was cut off by his father.

"_I took your mother to the hospital this morning for a check up and Dr. Marcoh said that she was just fine_."

Edward let out a small sigh into the phone as he crinkled his brow in momentary concentration.

"How long are you going to be gone?" he asked urgently.

"_Edward-"_

"How long, dad?"

"_Seven days maximum."_

"Mom's been known to get sick in _three day's_ dad!" Ed yelled into the phone.

"_And Dr. Marcoh knows this and is going to be paying her attention while I'm away- like he _always_ does Edward."_

Edward let out an annoyed growl before he closed his eyes and tried his best to force calm into his body, even though he knew that it was pointless to try.

"Whatever…"

"_I have to, Edward. How else am I supposed to get paid? I have to take jobs when you boys are away or else we won't be able to pay for you to stay there."_

"What do you mean _pay_?" Ed growled. "I'm on a full scholarship! And I also learned that it wasn't just given to me- _you had to fill it out for me_!"

"_Ed-."_

"Yeah, I found out about that. So you're little game's up. I don't know why you want me and Al out of the house but now you can stop lying to us all," Ed said angrily into the phone before he ended the call and slammed his phone onto a dryer.

Ed leaned against the dryer and rubbed his face with one of his hands. He had a major headache forming and now all he wanted to do was curl up somewhere and chug a bottle of aspirin.

He and his father had been in a power-struggle of sorts for several years in the Elric house-hold. His father, Hohenheim, was renowned in the scientific and medical community for his work on several different medications in laboratories across the continent. Ever since Ed and Al were young boys, their father had been running across the nation for weeks at a time, working on different experiments. But as Edward got older, he begun to become the substitute man of the house, something that his father was not used to when he would come home and find that his son would not always listen to his orders.

The arguments only increased when their mother fell strangely ill about eight years ago and no doctor was able to diagnose it. Hohenheim's absences became longer and longer while his visits started to become less frequent and before anyone knew it, he was gone more than he was home.

On a visit home when Edward was twelve, he confronted his father and told him that he shouldn't be gone so long because their mother desperately missed him and seemed to get sicker every time he left them. Hohenheim informed him that it was something he had to do for his sickly wife and that while he was gone he was always on the search of a way to help her. The two argued for several years until Hohenheim presented him with an opportunity that may help find a cure for their mother.

"_Amestris Academy?" Ed asked in confusion as he stared at the pamphlet that his father had handed to him. "What good will this do?"_

"_Amestris Academy is one of the top schools in the country for medical studies and their libraries hold extensive knowledge," Hohenheim said gently. "I think that maybe if you went, maybe you could help me with trying to diagnose your mother. You and Al can go."_

"_But… but I don't think we should leave mom here all by herself," Ed asked, sounding slightly annoyed. "Besides, this place must be freaking expensive."_

"_What if I told you that you and your brother have been offered free tuition if you attend?"_

"_Wait... what?"_

"_Yes."_

"_But… I didn't know that they just handed out free tuitions to people," Ed said suspiciously._

"_Well your father is rather well known," Hohenheim said, trying his best not to sound arrogant. "It's been known that boarding school and universities often try and recruit people of higher status to their schools."_

"_Why?"_

"_I don't know. Maybe to make them look better when compared to other schools."_

"_That's stupid," Ed muttered as he set the pamphlet onto the nearby kitchen table before he began to walk out of the room._

"_Yes, yes but… would you still like to go?" Hohenheim asked, stopping Edward in his tracks for a moment._

"…_Maybe," Ed muttered. "I'll have to think about it."_

But during a trip home last year, Edward found a copy of the forms needed to apply for a scholarship to the Academy and it was obvious in a moment to Ed that his father wanted them gone for some unknown reason and had succeeded into tricking Ed and Al into thinking otherwise.

Ed wanted to confront his father for some time now but lately, he had hardly been home at all and it was impossible for him to tell him that he knew of the truth. Ed also encountered another problem when he thought about staying at the academy or not. He did want to be with his mother and make sure that she was alright, but the pull of the unknown knowledge that came from the school's large libraries made Edward have to rethink his wish to stay home with his mother.

Edward let out a loud sigh and rubbed his face with both of his hands before he picked up his cell phone, pocketed it, and took a few steps towards the door before he stopped when he heard voices.

"Ed is such an asshole Winry," Rebecca snarled.

"We were complete idiots to try and set you up with him," Riza said in a slightly more soothing tone.

"I'm fine," insisted Winry. "Really. Relax. I'm not mad at you and I'm over it all already."

Edward ducked away from the door when he saw the tops of the three girls heads pass and waited several minutes until he was sure that they were far away from him. If there was one thing he had learned at the Academy, it was not to mess with a scorned woman, even if it wasn't your fault to begin with.

As Ed walked out of the laundry room and down the hall to the stairs, he began to think over what the three girls were talking about as they passed by him.

"…_try and set you up with him…"_

"Set you up with him?" Ed repeated in confusion. "What the hell are they talking about?"

Ed gave his head a hard shake as he walked up the second flight of stairs and continued to mumble to himself.

"Why would they set two people up, it's pointless and stupid!"

Ed gave a small glare to a younger boy who watched him mumble to himself as they passed each other on the stair well before he picked up his pace and continued on towards the third floor.

"Ugh, girls are crazy Ed, remember that," he muttered to himself. "Especially those girls; they got an extra layer of crazy that I don't want to even try to comprehend."

Ed groaned in annoyance when he twisted the knob on his door and found it locked before he fished in his pockets and unlocked the door with his own key. Once inside, Ed grabbed a random book off of the pile on his desk before collapsing on his own bed.

* * *

Later that night when the clear skies had finally become dark and the stars twinkled brightly against the dark backdrop, Winry found herself sitting in Riza and Rebecca's room, watching a classic 80's movie and gorging themselves on junk food.

After the movie, the gossiped, mostly about people Winry did not know, while they played CD after CD of Rebecca's apparent favorite band. Winry told them that she was rather tired around midnight and bid the two girls goodnight before she crossed the hall to her own, quiet room. Winry changed into a pair of gym shorts and an old T-shirt before she brushed her teeth and climbed into her own bed.

She did not fall asleep after her head had initially hit the pillow. Winry knew that she had a few sleeping problems but none of them were the cause for tonight's insomnia. This was her first night away from her old friends and family and her bed, which was a lot more comfy than this bed. Sure, she had already seemed to have developed a relationship with the girls across the hall but it wasn't the same. She was basically surrounded by strangers and was placed into this strange, new environment. Around three in the morning she felt her stomach twist and her heart ache with sadness. Winry jumped off of the bed, grabbed her cell phone and dialed her house phone.

There was no answer and it only made her feel worse. Winry let out a deep, shaky breath as she wiped away a stray tear and dialed her mother's and then he father's number but found that they both went to voicemail. She then took a chance and dialed her friends Paninya's number. It was late but it was still summer so hopefully she would be up, or at least able to answer her phone.

"_Hello?"_

"Paninya!" Winry exclaimed, trying her best to sound happy and push through her sadness.

"_Winry!"_Paninya cried into her phone. _"Oh my god I miss you already man! And wait- why haven't you called me already? I was waiting for hours for you to call me!"_

"I'm sorry," Winry sighed into the phone as she turned to stare out the window. "I got kinda busy."

"_Busy making new friends already Win? I see how it is."_

"Paninya I-."

"_I'm just kidding, Win,"_Paninya chuckled over the phone line. "_Just poking fun at you. So, are you making any new friends? How're the dorms? Are there any hot guys? I have to come and see you soon-"_

"Paninya!" Winry cried in exasperation. "Can you stop talking for five seconds?"

"_Maybe. But what's the problem, Winry? Are the kids bitches? Because I'll come down there and kick there asses for you."_

"No, that's definitely not the problem. I just… I just miss everyone is all," Winry sniffed into her phone as he sat down on her desk chair. "I love it here and everything is great and I've already made some friends but I just can't help missing everyone."

"_Oh, it'll be alright Winry,"_ Paninya said in an uncharacteristically soothing tone. _"I'm sure in a matter of time you'll get used to it all. And I can take a road trip down there if you really need me to."_

"I know. And I'm grateful that you would but…" Winry wiped her eyes on a random piece of fabric that she located before she spoke again. "I'm still going to miss my mom and dad a lot! They're going to be in a whole other continent thousands and thousands of miles away and they won't be able to just take a couple hours to drive here when I need them."

"_Didn't you get a webcam thingy so that you guys could talk?"_

"Yeah but it's just not the same," Winry sighed miserably.

"_When will you see them again?"_ she asked gently.

"I don't know… but not for a long time. Probably not until next summer or something."

"_I'm sorry."_

"Not your fault, Paninya. It's just my luck."

"_Well, do you think it would be any better if you were staying with your Granny?"_

"I don't think so. I really like this school and the dorms and the people in it but it's just going to be hard for a while. I'll just have to deal."

"_Is your roommate there yet?"_

"Nope. She won't be coming for a little longer."

"_When does term start?"_

"Not until the first."

"_That's a long time."_

"Yeah. You go back in three days right?"

"_Uh-huh. Sucks ass."_

Winry giggle slightly into the phone at her friends' complaint.

"_I wish you could be here for the end of the summer party at Don's house."_

"Me too."

"_I'll make sure you see the pics later."_

"Oh, I know you will."

"_Do you know if there are any wild parties going on there?"_

"No. But with the way these people that I've been hanging out with act I'm pretty sure they'll do something out of the ordinary."

"_Well, tell me the details when you know for sure. I hope it's a good party since you're going to be missing out extravaganza."_

"I don't even know if there's going to be a party in the first place."

"_And what if there is?"_

"Well then I'll tell you, alright?"

"_Fine."_

There was a loud noise on Paninya's end of the conversation and then some yelling happened before Paninya came back.

"_Sorry Win, but I gotta go."_

"What's up?" she asked, curious.

"_Land lord's drunk again and he's running through the halls with a pot on his head."_

"What?"

"_Yeah,"_ she said tiredly. _"Anyways, I gotta go help him because I think someone said he fell down the stairs or something and it's my night to watch him."_

"Right…"

"_Well, night, Winry."_

"Good night, Paninya."

"_Talk to you later."_

"Uh-huh. Bye."

"_Buh-bye."_

Winry shook her head slightly as she ended the call and set her phone on her desk. She turned to stare out the open window and let herself drift into thought. Winry thought about how her parents work might be like once they finally arrived in Africa and when she might be able to see them again. She wondered about her new life here at the academy and if the rest of her days here would be as easy as the first. As Winry let her eyes flutter close and curled herself even tighter in her chair, she thought of Ed and how her heart still fluttered painfully at the thought of there first meeting before she let herself drift off into sleep.

* * *

**So shit's starting to get serious and Ed's as oblivious as ever. Poor Winry...**

**Hope you enjoy your holidays and I'm sure to post a journal entry on Deviant Art about my crazy family in a couple of days. :P**

**Happy holidays!**

**-FSK**


	6. New Students

**Hello readers! _Super_ sorry for the wait but I've been rather busy; blame my school. (I HATE STUDYING FOR MID-TERMS!)**

**So, there was a question that was asked in a review last chapter that I feel like I should address to everyone, in case they were wondering the same thing. Last chapter, I called Van Hohenheim, Hohenheim Elric. I am aware that Elric is Trisha's last name but for the sake of having the family appear somewhat normal and keeping the couple happily married, I gave Hohenheim Elric as his surname. (It's also because I like to call him Hohenheim instead of Van...)**

**In this chapter there will be a few more appearences and a little surprise that I hope you will all enjoy. :)**

**I'd like to say thanks to me Beta for helping me and to all of you readers who keep sending me awesome reviews.**

* * *

"Winry!"

Winry turned to see Rebecca running after her, Riza following in Rebecca's footsteps. Winry smiled and waited for her two new friends to catch up to her.

"Where you off to, Win?" Rebecca asked.

"Down to get some food," Winry said with a small shrug. "I was just going to bring it back up here but if wanna come too, we can eat down there."

"Sounds good," Riza said with a nod. "We were on our way to get some food anyways."

The three teenage girls then continued down the hallway until they reached the elevator and rode it down to the bottom level.

It had been three days since Winry had first arrived at the academy and everything seemed to be working out just fine. She had easily slipped into a rather tight group of friends who all accepted her as one of their own. She had learned to navigate through most of the campus. She even managed to unpack all of her things into the proper place. Winry was happy.

But there was always something nagging her whenever she went back to her room, alone, to sleep or just get a moment of peace and quiet. Winry tried to think of what the feeling could but nothing she thought of seemed to fit the feeling.

She missed home like nothing else; Winry often cried during the night due to homesickness. Winry had talked to her parents at least once a day but it really wasn't enough. Definitely nothing when compared to how it used to be with her parents always there to hug her if she needed it.

Winry did feel a bit odd after she managed to slip into this group of friends, feeling like a spy sneaking into a building undetected. There still were a number of people she had not met but she was constantly reminded by everyone that everyone would love her.

As she and her new friends walked down the cold stair well, she tried her best to push away the feeling and smile and laugh.

* * *

The three girls entered the building that was just a minute's walk from the back dorm of their door and quickly started to decide what they wanted to eat.

"Well… I'm kinda in the mood for a taco," Rebecca mumbled to herself as she stared at one of the several menu boards that showed today's lunch specials. "But I'm also in the mood for spaghetti."

"Then get both," Riza suggested with a sigh as she stared at the salad board. "I think I'll Caesar salad with…hmm."

"I can't get both because the stupid school will make me pay extra if I want more."

"Didn't your parents just send you your allowance?" Winry asked, pulling herself away from the hamburger list.

"Yeah," Rebecca muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

"And?" Winry asked as she decided on what she was going to eat.

"She blew it," Riza said before she turned to look at Rebecca with a small, knowing smirk. "Didn't you?"

"…Well not all of it!" Rebecca exclaimed, causing the two blonds to chuckle at the girl. "I do know that I have to be careful alright! It's not like freshman year!"

"What happened…?" Winry asked, slightly curious and a bit apprehensive; she had heard plenty of weird stories from their past and learned to be careful when asking questions.

"Nothing that insane," Riza said, noticing the girls' hesitance. "It was just Bec being Bec with no brain and-"

"I was young alright!"

"Basically she spent all of the money her parents gave her for the month in about two days."

"I had never had that much money before! I freaked out!" she yelled.

"They had to send her weekly allowances for a while until she learned to spend her money more wisely."

"Ugh, can we just stop talking about me and get our food?" Rebecca grumbled.

"Well I guess we've poked enough fun at you for right now, Becs," Riza said as she stepped to the counter and began to order.

Just as all of the girls had gotten their food and had sat down at an empty table, a boy with thick glasses came up to their table and tapped Riza on the shoulder.

"Yes?" she asked politely, even though she wanted nothing more to dig into her food.

"Um, Headmaster Grumman would like to see you in his office," the boy said as he pushed his thick glasses up his nose with a finger.

"What for?" Riza asked as Rebecca made immature noises in the background.

"Um, here's the slip," the boy grunted as he dug into his pocket and pulled out the slightly crumpled yellow slip before giving it to Riza.

"What's it say?" Rebecca asked nosily as she tried to read over Riza's shoulder.

"It's something for the Welcoming Committee," Riza said as she slipped the paper back into her own pocket before she turned to the boy and smiled lightly at him. "Thank you Howie."

"Uh-huh," Howie said, a slightly blush forming on his pimple-ridden cheeks.

"What's the Welcoming Committee?" Winry asked.

"It's a club filled with goody-goody over achievers who welcome big wig's kids to the school," Rebecca said though a bite of her taco. "Nothing very interesting."

"It's more than that," Riza said with a slight roll of her eyes. "And Maes is in it as well and I don't think he's the text book definition of a 'goody-goody'."

"Yeah," Rebecca said before she swallowed her food and leaned over closer to Winry. "It's also about peppering your college applications with lame programs. And when it comes to his work, Maes is a freaking goody-goody, trust me. But then again, he lets me copy some homework every now and again, unlike you."

Riza sent a glare across the table as she speared a piece of chicken with her fork. The subject was then dropped.

* * *

An hour later, Riza found herself walking up the stone steps of the Administrative building. The cool air conditioning was pleasant on Riza's hot skin; it was rather hot out today.

"Hello Riza," said the chipper secretary at the sight of the blond girl. "The headmaster's waiting for you."

"Thanks," Riza said with her smile that she used on people like the secretary before she turned down the hall and towards her grandfather's office.

Once she had arrived, she knocked three times on the hard door before her grandfather told her to come inside with a cheery chuckle. Riza made a quick inspection of the room and found it empty except for her grandfather.

"Hello Riza dear," he said as Riza walked towards him.

"Hello grandfather," she said with a genuine smile. "I was told there was something about the Welcoming Committee."

She could see in her grandfather's expression that this was rather important. Usually he would have said a joke or offered her some tea or soda before he went to business.

"Yes," he said with a small nod before he motioned to the couch in front of him. He waited for Riza to sit down before he spoke. "The Academy will this year be attended by two rather important students and I will need your help along with the help of your friend Mr. Hughes, once he arrives that is."

"Who are they?" Riza asked, intrigued.

"They are foreign exchange student," Grumman said with a nod.

"Exchange students? From where?"

"China," he said with a smile.

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Their father is a rather important man in the Chinese government and he is coming to America for a while for… for some reason we are not allowed to know of."

Riza simply blinked in astonishment. The most important people who had ever come to the campus were governor and senator's children But this… this was international.

"And I'm going to have to escort them?" Riza asked nervously, feeling the pressure pushing down on her already as she hopped these kids were fluent in English.

"Yes, you and Mr. Hughes," he said before he added, noticing her hesitance, "don't worry dear, I wouldn't have you do this if I didn't think you could. It's not like if you aren't nice enough to these kids they'll have their dad start a war with the country or something!"

Riza let out a small, forced laugh as her grandfather chuckled over his own joke.

"So, um, what year are they in?"

"Let's see," he said as he pulled out a thick manila file and opened it. "Well there is a boy and a girl. The girl will be attending her 8th year here and the boy will be attending his 10th. I'm afraid I don't have much information that will be helpful to you at this point and time; they seem to be a little secretive with the whole affair."

"Right."

"That is all for now, but it would help me if you could tell your friend about this and try not to tell anyone else; this is supposed to be a secret."

"Alright then," Riza said, getting up from her seat and feeling a bit more confident. Secrets, secrets she could keep. "Anything else?"

"No. You can go return back to whatever you were doing, that is, unless you would like to stick around with your old grandpa for a while."

"I would like to but I really have to get back to-"

"It's aright Riza, I also have plenty to do before the new arrivals," he said with a smile.

"Okay. I'll see you soon Grandfather."

Riza walked to the other side of the room and just as she was about to leave his office, Grumman stopped her.

"Oh Riza!"

"Huh?"

"It is rather hot out there today, would you like something to drink?" he asked, holding up a bottle of water in one hand and a can of soda in the other.

Riza smiled at him, knowing that he had a mini fridge under his desk before she walked back to accept a drink.

* * *

"So what's up?" Rebecca asked later that evening as the three girls plus Jean and Roy sat in Winry's room.

Once Riza had returned, Rebecca had been prying for answers as to what she had been told while in the headmaster's office. She was rather unsuccessful in getting the answers out of the blond but continued to persist anyhow.

"Come _on_!" Rebecca groaned as she flopped onto her back and began to throw a minor temper-tantrum. "I _need_ to know!"

"Well you're just going to have to wait," Riza said before she took a sip of her drink and did her best of ignoring her friend as she acted like a toddler.

Just as Rebecca's tantrum was reaching its apex, the door of the room opened and a petite, mousy-looking girl was revealed to them.

"Sheska!" they cheered as the girl sighed exasperatedly and lugged her bags into the room. Roy and Jean got up form their seats to help the girl before they took their turn to hug the girl, lifting her off the ground in the process.

"Oh it's so nice to see you all again," she said in a slightly weary voice as she straightened her thick glasses, which had been knocked about in the fray.

"What took you so long to get you here?" Jean asked as he ruffled her short brown hair.

"My house had been busy lately. We had no time to get me down here until yesterday," she said as she sat down on her own computer seat. "I'm just glad to say that I'm out of the house."

"Are the kids bad?" Roy asked sympathetically.

"Understatement of the century…" she sighed before her big green eyes came to focus on the one face that she didn't recognize in the group.

"Um, I'm Winry," she said after a small pause. "I'm your new roommate."

"Hello!" Sheska said brightly as she leaned over to shake Winry's hand eagerly.

"You'll love her Shesk," Rebecca said with a small wink to Winry. "She's awesome. It's like she's been here all along."

"Really? That's great!" Sheska then looked around the room before she spoke again. "Is this everyone who's here?"

"Ed and Al are here too," Roy said.

"But who knows what library they're living in right now," Jean muttered.

"And what's wrong with books?" Sheska asked, eyes twinkling. "Books are amazing gifts! They hold so many stories and thoughts of others and-"

"Okay, okay, we get it," Jean said with a sigh and roll of his eyes. "Why don't you go and try and find those two and the three of you can live in a library for the rest of your lives."

Sheska folded her arms and pouted and muttered something about how his suggestion wasn't bad at all.

Hours later, the two girls and two boys left the room for their own, leaving Sheska and Winry to themselves. Winry had learned a lot about her new roommate over the recent hours and vice versa. Winry learned that Sheska had three younger siblings and that her parents were divorced and Sheska learned that Winry's parents were now out of the country and continent, helping aid poverty-stricken children, which almost brought the brunette to tears. They also learned some common interests about each other, like how Sheska was in love with books as much as Winry was in love with mechanics. After they had spent at least another hour talking to each other, they both decided to go to bed.

Winry was rather happy that she and her roommate were getting along and hoped that her room would start to feel a bit more welcome with the presence of another person. She fell asleep that night and woke up hours later without a single bad dream or thought.

* * *

Later that morning, once the group had returned from breakfast, Winry and the rest of the girls returned to their rooms just as a rather large commotion began at the end of the hall.

Winry heard Riza groaned slightly and saw Rebecca roll her eyes but when she asked for an explanation, she only received a loud yell from the source of the noise.

"Let's just go and see the damage for ourselves," Sheska said, who seemed eager to get to the source.

"Whatever," Rebecca sighed.

Winry was lead over the part of the floor that contained the three, three-person rooms and saw that it was in a state of utter chaos. Bags were left in the hall and items were falling out of nags that were laying side-ways on the floor.

"What the…?" Winry asked as her eyes trailed into the room.

Inside were three guys, laughing, screaming, and cursing profusely, as the wrestled about the room, not caring in the least that everything that had once been in order in the room was not strewn around the room. Winry glanced at Riza, who was spiking slightly, and then to Rebecca, who looked slightly annoyed, and then to Sheska, who was giggling behind a hand.

Peering into the mess that was three teenage boys greeting one another after such a long time apart, she saw Roy, Jean, and a dark-haired boy who she could only assume was the famous match-maker Maes Hughes. After watching another moment of the boys romping, Sheska could not contain herself anymore and squealed out into the group.

"Maesy!"

The romping stopped and three pairs of eyes, one of them hidden behind rectangular spectacles, turned to look at the three girls standing in the door. The dark-haired, green-eyed boy smiled from his place in Roy's headlock and waved ecstatically to the group.

"Hey guys! Long time no see!"

"And whose fault is that Mr. I have to go on a million fancy vacations over the summer because my parents are rich and I'm an only child?" Rebecca asked.

"I guess I would have to say it's my parent's fault for dragging me on every single one of them," Maes said with a bright smile before he hit Roy in the gut and wiggled free of his headlock.

He stood up and walked over to the four girls, instantly picking out Winry in the group as the odd man out.

"And who do we have here?"

"I'm Sheska's new roommate," Winry said with a small, nervous smile. "Winry Rockbell."

"Maes Hughes," he said, extending his hand with a wide grin. "Nice to meet you."

* * *

**AH! It's Maes! XD And Sheska.**

**Foreign exchange students from China? Hmm... I wonder who they could POSSIBLY be? *cough-cough wink-wink***

**Next chapter I promise there will be more Ed and Al action. :) And I'm sure some other characters will make an appearance and there will be hi-jinks from Maes. **

**Please send me a review! My 16th birthday was last week so maybe you could send me one to say happy birthday... or just send me one as a present or something... :P**

**Hope to update soon and wish me luck on my Mid-Terms! *crosses fingers***

**FSK**


	7. Old Adventures

**Hi everyone! :D**

**Thanks so much for the reviews from last chapter! Sorry for the kinda late update; I've been busy with stupid school and life. :|**

**This chapter will be setting up for some rather important chapters ahead!**

**Hope you like it!**

* * *

Winry smiled warmly at Maes and accepted his hand.

"Nice to meet you too," she said and sincerely meaning it.

"So, Maes," Rebecca said, giving the bespectacled teen a look, "I thought you would be down in Miami for a while longer. Thought you'd be hookin' up with grenades or something."

"What?" Maes cried in outrage while Roy and Jean rolled their eyes and groaned at her comment. "I would never, ever even _dare_ to look at another person like that while I have my dear Gracia! How can you ever think I would be unfaithful to my dear, sweet girl?"

"And please stop watching Jersey Shore," Roy mumbled. "It's not helping you I.Q. any."

"Who's Gracia?" Winry asked pleasantly, ignoring everyone else's frantic noises and motions of distress. "Is she your girlfriend?"

In a flash, Maes's eyes began to shine oddly and he was rooting through his pockets and bags, pulling out photo after photo while he yelled loudly to her.

"Oh yes, she's my girl! And what a lucky man I am!" Maes squealed as he shoved several pictures under Winry's nose. "Isn't she just gorgeous? You can't possible tell me that she's not!"

"Uh…"

Winry stared at the pile of pictures that only grew with every passing second and saw that each one contained a glimpse of a pretty teenage girl with short, mousy brown hair and big blue eyes. In every picture she seemed to be smiling or laughing, not a single frown.

"Well? What do you think?"

"Um," Winry muttered as she nodded nervously, taken back by the previously calm teen's sudden shift in mood and mental state. "She's beautiful. You are lucky. I'm sure she's lovely."

"Oh she's just _perfect_!" Maes squealed in an unexpected high voice. "You'll _have_ to meet her! I'm sure you two will get along just fine. Well," he gave a small snort, "everyone get's along with Gracia; she's perfect in every way…"

Winry quickly exchanged a worried glance with the others in the room, who just seemed tired with the whole manic act. Winry was saved from having to say anything else with the arrival of someone behind Winry.

"Well this explains the racket," said a male voice behind Winry.

Winry turned around and felt heat instantly creep into her cheeks. Standing behind her was Edward with Alphonse a few steps behind him. Ed spared her a passing glance before he turned back to look at Maes.

"Hey Kodak Moment!" Ed yelled over Winry when Maes refused to snap out of his dream world.

Maes gave his head a little shake before blinking and turning to stare at the new arrivals.

"Hey Ed, Al," he said with a smile, sounding normal. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Ed repeated, annoyed. "I'm trying to get some work done and all I can hear is you ranting and raving about your damn girlfriend."

"Sorry," he said with a light chuckle. "But I had to show her off to Winry here! Oh! Do you know her?"

"…Yeah," Ed said calmly after another passing glance towards Winry. "We met."

Winry could feel the slight wave of awkwardness that washed over the room which Ed seemed to be utterly oblivious to.

"So as I was saying, I got shit I have to do. Do you think you could possibly cool down the fan-girling for another hour or two?"

"What do you mean you have stuff you have to do?" Maes cried in annoyance. "I just got here! We _have_ to hang out! Al, please talk some sense into your crazy brother."

"Sorry, Maes," Al said with a small shrug and an apologetic smile, "I have to agree with him and say that we do have some important things to do. But we will hang out later; we promise."

"Really?" Roy asked skeptically, looking at Ed.

"Yes!" Ed growled at the teen. "Now come on Al, we have to get back to work."

"You do know that it's a federal crime to be building bombs right?" Roy called after them as the two blonds turned to leave. Ed's middle finger was the only response he got in return.

"Oh Maes," Riza said after a moment of silence. "There's something I have to tell you."

"What?"

"Oh! You'll tell him but you won't tell your best friend?" Rebecca cried.

Riza rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Hey, Ed," Al said, poking his head out of the small bathroom. He saw his older brother lounging on his computer chair, seemingly ready to go. "Are you ready?"

"Yup," Ed said, getting up from his seat.

Edward walked over to the door and walked out into the hall, Al following right behind him. As the two walked down the hall to Maes, Jean, and Roy's room, Al had to admit something to his brother.

"I'm surprised you're so willing to go and hang out with everyone, Ed," he said with a small laugh.

Ed gave him a slightly annoyed look before shrugging.

"I did all I could do for tonight and besides, if I hang out with them now, I can have them all of my back for a few days now."

"Wow, you sure sound like a true friend," Al said sarcastically.

"Shut up," Ed said, playfully punching his younger brother in the arm.

The dorm room door was wide open when Ed and Al arrived. Inside were their friends, all seven of them tightly packed into the small room while loud music blared.

"Hey guys!" Ed called as they walked inside. "Do you think we could find a worse place for a party? Why the hell are we crammed into this room?"

"Sorry but someone misplaced the boat!" Roy yelled, glaring dagger at Jean.

"It's not like I meant to! We can get it back! Don't worry!" Jean said defensively.

"Where do we have to get it back from?" Rebecca asked, annoyed as well with the blond teen.

"What do you need a boat for?" Winry asked, completely out of the loop once again.

"It's… kind of a long story," Riza said with a smile.

"We got time to tell it though!" Maes cried from his seat on the lower bunk. "Sheska! Turn down the music; it's story time!"

The bespectacled brunette let out a cheer of happiness before she leaned over to turn down the music from a deafening volume to mere background noise.

"So what's the story?" Winry asked, taking a seat and waiting with a smile. She had already heard a few good stories and was getting the feeling that this story was going to be epic.

"Well you see, back in the beginning of time of eighth grade," started Jean, "back when it was just me, Roy, and Riza, there was this weird idea going on that had everyone's attention."

"What was it?" Winry asked.

"You know Kauroy Lake over there," Jean gestured over his shoulder to the window where Winry knew the lake was. "Well, at the very center of it is this little island and for as long as this school's been open, kids have been trying to get to it."

"I swear, they probably put that little island there to piss off students," Roy said before he chugged half of his soda.

"Most likely," Rebecca mumbled in agreement.

"But back to the story," Maes ordered.

"Right. Well, as I was saying, ever since the school's been opened, kids have tried to get to the island."

"But why?" Winry asked.

"Winry," Al said with a small smile, "wouldn't you think it'd be cool to have an island all to yourself?"

"Yeah," Ed said as he tossed an empty soda can into the trash bin. "Billionaires pay big bucks for one, why not have one for free?"

"Right…"

"Anyways," Jean said, annoyed with the interruptions. "There was never really any big rule on not trying to swim there but about fifty years ago on New Years Eve, this one kid tried to swim there but drowned. Current was too strong. But anyhow, there was all of this crazy lawsuits and some big crack down on the school rules after that. But every New Years for the past fifteen or twenty years, kids have taken rafts or even boats to the island."

"Why?" Winry had to ask, feeling a little uncomfortable now and expecting this story to turn into some kind of horror story about the ghost of the kid returning every New Years Eve.

"Because we're bored, Win!" Jean said exasperatedly. "But about six years ago, these kids got to the island and staked their claim. I don't know really what they did but somehow, they made it so no one but the group of friends could come to the island.

"Then, a few years later, they were seniors and wanted to create this competition to see who could get to the island first and claim it again. Looking back, it was really freaking dangerous. Trying to cross a river in the middle of winter during the night."

"What do you mean 'looking back'?" Riza cried. "I remember rather clearly that two people had to practically _tie _me to the boat because I stated _several times_ how dangerous it was!"

"You were just fine," Roy said dismissively with a wave of his hand. "Jean, back to the story."

"Alright. So, as you may have guess, me and Roy really wanted to get there… and Riza wanted to be a little wimpy tattle-tale."

"If you're tying to make me feel bad, it's not working," Riza said, glaring at Jean over the rim of her plastic cup.

"Whatever. But, the entire senior class kinda got in on the competition and they ended up posting all of these rules and handing them out and it became really serious. But anyways, the main rule was that you couldn't try and get there until after midnight. And it was even tougher because the Campus Patrol knew that kids would try and go to the lake every year. So, if you got caught, more than likely, you would be out of the game and in some serious detention."

"Oh," Winry said with a nod; thinking about it, it really did sound fun.

"So, back in the day, the school used to have like, a rowing team or something, I don't know. But the point is, there are a few boats hidden somewhere and _everyone _was trying to find them but only a few knew where."

"So… did you get one?" Winry asked after a brief moment of silence.

"Yup. All thanks to little old Riza."

Winry gave Riza a surprised look, to which she shrugged.

"I helped re-organize stock rooms for community service hours," Riza said quietly. "I knew that the boats would be in one of the rooms and one day after I was finished, I didn't return to keys and went out on a little hunt. It took hours but I finally found them in a hidden room that was actually pretty close to the lake. After that, I made sure the room was covered up again and I kept the key that I needed."

"We were so proud," Roy said. "Breaking the rules. We thought you'd be a goody-goody forever."

"Shut up," Riza growled, throwing a throw pillow at Roy.

"The day before New Years Eve," Jean started again, "we got a look at the boat and made sure it was alright. Then we had to make a plan to get it out and to the lake without anyone seeing us. It was going to be difficult because there were rumors of bed checks that night because the whole school and the Headmaster knew that shit was going down. But in the end, me and Roy decided to stay in the room with the boat and Riza would sneak out later. And at about eleven-thirty, Riza broke out of her dorm and came down to see us; sneakin' around Campus Patrol all ninja style."

Riza rolled her eyes at this comment.

"But then, at about five to midnight, we started to move the boat over the bridge. It was the farthest point away from the island but there was the smallest amount of security at the spot. So, when the clocks hit twelve, we jumped into the boat and started rowing like fucking crazy!" Jean yells; after this, he gets really into the story by reenacting some minor points with his hands. "As we're rowing, we hear all this yelling and shit and it's either patrol or other kids trying to psyche us out. But it was really the security and they had seen us put the boat in the water but we didn't hear them at first. But now there were fucking pissed and we could see a couple other kids behind us that turned back because they got scared or caught or whatever."

"I'm guessing you didn't even think of turning around?" Winry asked, amused.

"Oh hells no! But after what seemed like, an hour or two, we got onto the island, pulled the boat ashore, and started running around like a bunch of idiots," Jean finished with a laugh.

"Well we were," Riza said.

"So… you won?" Winry asked, surprised.

"Duh!" Jean cried. "It was _epic_! A couple of little eight-graders won! And now that fucking island is still ours to this day."

"Huh," Winry said. "But I still don't get why other kids wouldn't go and try and steal it back."

"Well… they do. But no one feels like it's official unless it's on New Years," Rebecca said. "Otherwise they're just a douche-bag and no one will talk to them."

"But on New Years, we always get over there before curfew and party there," Maes said with a wide grin. "You're going to have the best New Years of your life, Winry."

"…Not unless we don't find that boat," Riza growled.

"We'll get it back!" Jean cried.

* * *

Winry returned back to her dorm room a few hours later with Sheska. As Sheska got ready in the bathroom, Winry lay on her bed, eye-lids feeling heavy. Just as she felt herself falling into sleep, she was woken up by her cell phone going off. Winry scrambled off her bed to get the phone and felt her heart constrict when she saw it was her mother.

Winry quickly whipped away the tears that were already coming to her eyes before she ran out of the room and down the hall to the stairwell where she could get some privacy.

"Hello?" Winry answered, hoping she didn't sound as bad as she felt.

"_Winry_?" her mother asked softly. "_Hi. Are you alright?"_

Three words. Those three words were all it took to make her crumble. Sobs and tears that she had been holding in for days burst forth all at once and she was thankful that she had decided to leave the room. It took her mother several minutes of comforting over the phone until Winry's sobs subsided to silent tears and sniffles.

"I-I'm s-sorry," Winry stuttered as she whipped her eyes. "I didn't m-mean too…"

"_It's alright, sweetie. I understand completely,"_ Sara said quietly. "_I'm just glad we were able to catch you. Is everything alright? Are your friend's nice?_"

"They're g-great, mom," Winry sniffed, smiling as she thought of her new friends. "Really, it's already like I was friends with them all along."

"_That's so great, honey. Are you alright though?"_

"Yeah," Winry said as a tiny sob came out. "I just miss you and dad is all…"

"_Oh, I'm so sorry sweetie. I know this isn't the best situation but I'm sure you'll have fun while you're there."_

Winry nodded her head as she rubbed her swollen eyes.

"Yeah," she whispered, realizing that her mother couldn't see her nod.

"_I know you should be in bed by now but_-"

"Don't go!" Winry cried, suddenly feeling like she was six, instead of sixteen, and her mother was leaving her after she had told her that there was a monster underneath her bed. "I don't have c-class tomorrow… I can stay up as late as I want too."

"_Alright,"_ Sara said. "_So, how was your day today?"_

"It was pretty good. I hung out with some friends today..."

* * *

The next morning, before most of their friends had ever pried themselves out of their beds, Riza and Maes were walking towards the Administration Building for a meeting with the Headmaster. There was some urgent news on the exchange students that needed to be discussed.

"Did he say what the urgent news was about?" Maes asked.

"No," Riza answered. "He just said to be here as soon as we could."

The secretary greeted them as usual and they continued on towards the office where Grumman told them to sit down. He seemed rather stressed and worried.

"We have some important news on those exchange students."

"What is it?" Riza asked instantly.

"Well apparently they're arriving a bit earlier than expected," he said tensely.

"When?" Maes asked.

"Today."

"What?" Riza and Maes both cried.

"Yes," Grumman said with a nod. "They have boarded a private jet already and are on their way here as we speak."

"Well what are we going to do?" Riza asked.

"What are we going to do? We're going to go on as planned and have a ceremony for them and whoever their escorts are and we will place them in their rooms."

Riza and Maes exchanged nervous glances. They had never seen the Headmaster looking so tense and nervous before. They just hoped and prayed that this would all work out. International mishaps didn't smooth out that easily.

* * *

**Oooh... guess who's coming in next chapter? Some important people, that's who! :P And I'm sure you can guess there will be some shananigens on the island soon.**

**Hope you liked the chapter and please send me a review my way! :D**

**Thanks!**

**-FSK**


	8. The Foreign Exchange

**Um... hi everyone. **

**I'm ****SUPER SORRY about this ridiculous wait. I've been really busy with extracurriculars and school in general along with being sick. But here's the next chapter and I really hope you all like it.**

**I'd like to thank my editor Dani for her help on this chapter! Thanks for being an awesome editor, Dani! :D**

* * *

Six hours later and Riza and Maes found themselves standing at the main steps of the administration building next to Grumman and a number of other school board members while they waited for the exchange students to show up. All the students who had arrived at the school were informed that their attendance was mandatory. Riza was only mildly surprised that about fifty perfect of the students were here, even though it was still a full week before term started.

It was way too hot outside for Riza's liking and she kept fidgeting with the tight collar of the polka dot she was wearing. She glanced to her left and saw that Maes looked just as uncomfortable fidgeting with the cuff of his dress shirt.

_Well, _Riza thought, staring at the dark slacks Maes had been forced to wear in this heat, _at least I get to wear this skirt._

Riza looked into the crowd of students and saw that many of them had given up and had retreated to sitting underneath one of the few trees that surrounded the building. She could easily spot her friends sitting at the farthest tree from the administration building. They all were sitting clumped together in the shade, trying their best not to get a single ray of sun on their flesh. Riza was pretty sure she could see a small haze of smoke arise from the group and smiled slightly, thinking of how bold it was to risk smoking this close to the entire school board.

Maes caught her eye and smirked at her before jerking his head over to their friends. Riza smiled slightly, knowing that he was thinking the same thing she was.

"Couldn't have picked a better day to show up, huh?" Grumman muttered as he fanned himself with a piece of paper.

It had to be over ninety degrees out and everyone had been standing out in the open for over an hour. On days like today, most people would be staying inside their air-conditioned dorm rooms, only ever venturing outside when absolutely necessary. No one wanted to be out here, not even Grumman, who had been grumbling about the heat for the past hour.

Suddenly, the secretary, who had been hiding inside the air-conditioned building all day, burst out of the front doors and ran towards Grumman. Riza was close enough to catch some of the hurried conversation.

"Sir…"

"They're almost here?" Grumman exclaimed in a whisper.

"Yes, and…"

There were a few more bits that Riza just couldn't make out before the secretary bid him goodbye and fled back into her cold shelter. Grumman cleared his throat and took a step forwards.

"Excuse me, students!" he called out, getting almost everyone's attention at once. "Our special guests will be arriving in a matter of minutes. So, get up and please give our new students a good welcome once they arrive."

Riza could hear all of the groans an mutters from the students as they slowly got up from their shaded sanctuary and shuffled their feet over to the building, where they would fry in the sun.

Everyone could see the large black limo when it first entered the school gates a few minutes later. Whispers erupted among the crowd of students and then a sudden hush fell over everyone when the car stopped before the crowd and the doors opened.

The first to get out of the car was an old man, probably around the same age as Grumman, with grey hair and mustache. His sharp dark eyes scanned the crowd for a moment, looking rather mistrustful of the group, before he moved out of the way to allow the other people to get out of the car.

The next was a young lady, probably around Riza's age. She was rather beautiful, with dark, almond-shaped eyes, black hair, and ivory skin, but she also seemed to mistrust the students around her like the man before her. Her black hair was pulled back into a small bun but her long bangs framed her face nicely. She too seemed to be uncomfortable with the oppressive heat.

Next to come out was a small girl, probably around twelve years old. She had her long dark hair, bound in a number of tiny braids that were then pulled up into pigtails, and large, round dark eyes. Her eyes swept around the crowd for a moment before she took a few steps towards the other girl but stood about two feet away from the girl. Riza could help but notice the small look she gave the older girl.

Lastly, a boy came out of the car; he had to be about sixteen by the height of him. He had long, black hair pulled back into a low pony tail and his bangs obscured one of his shifty eyes. There's a long, thin smile on his face that Riza does not like for a reason she can't explain. He then closes the car door behind him and moves to stand next to the others.

"Welcome!" Grumman exclaims at the sight of them.

The group of four walks forwards and up to the front of the building. Maes and Riza move a bit to the side to allow them to have more room. There were speeches given from each board member that all seemed to amount to the same words, just in different orientation, and no one seemed to care about them. Riza couldn't help but notice that the older girl never seemed to be able to stand still during the entire speech. She kept moving her head ever so slightly, shifting her eyes to look into the crowd. The boy leaned closer to her and whispered words she couldn't hear but whatever it was, it made the girl blush and stop her movements completely.

By the time the speeches were all done, everyone was relieved to say the least. The students practically ran away from the building and towards their dorms to cool off and drink pints and pints of liquid that they had just sweated out.

Grumman, unfazed by the sudden exodus, gently steered the children towards Riza and Maes with a smile.

"This is Riza Hawkeye and Maes Hughes," he said, pointing to each in turn, "they will be helping you around the campus today."

The boy stepped forwards and gave a bow before he held out his hand to Riza to shake.

"Ling Yao," he said in perfect English. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Riza smiled as she shook his hand. Ling repeated this motion to Maes, who accepted the hand with a smile. Riza noticed that both the old man and the older girl seemed wary of this move. Riza then looked at the other girl and saw that she wasn't paying attention and was staring into her beaded bag instead.

"Well, shall we take you to your dorm first or would you like to have your tour first?" Grumman asked.

"Dorm first," grunted the man. "The children need to rest."

"Good," he said. "It is rather hot out, isn't it?"

The exchange students were going to be housed in Central Dorm. She had been in the dorm a number of times and Riza knew that this trip would be much harder if Maes's girlfriend, Gracia, were here since she lived in Central Dorm.

As they all walked to the dorm, Grumman lead the group, pointing out certain things. The old man walked next to him, nodding politely but Riza wasn't sure if he was actually paying attention to him. The older girl walked behind them, once again shifting glances around the area as they walked. Ling walked behind her, smiling and humming slightly, seeming completely at ease. The girl walked a few feet away from Ling and the girl; she never seemed to want to get within a few feet of them and when she did, the older girl shot her a look. Maes shot Riza a questioning look to which she merely shrugged to. She wasn't in the mood to try and decipher Maes's cryptic silent messages.

They all arrived at the dorm a few moments later. The arrival of air-conditioning almost wanted to make Riza cry from happiness. A few students who sat around the common room, which was filled with brand-new everything, looked a little uneasy at the sight of them all and quickly stopped doing whatever they had been previously doing.

The group walked down the hall until they reached the elevator and went up to the third floor. Riza knew the top floor was mostly for upperclassman and people who parent's paid a small fortune for their tuition. The floor mostly consisted of single room for upperclassmen to study and for rich kids to relax in style.

It was weird, here in the Central dorm, with the curve to the halls and even the slightly curved rooms. The floors were wooden with a thin deep blue carpet running down the middle. The walls were a creamy white and the ceiling was curved and made of glass.

Finally, they reached the three rooms that would be theirs. Ling was on the left side of the hall, the younger girl directly across from him, and the other girl was the next room over from Ling.

"When do you think you will all be ready for a tour?" Grumman asked the old man, who Riza had to guess was their escort.

"In an hour or two," he said, looking at the children for a moment. "I think they'll be ready then."

"Well then, we'll be back around four," Grumman said with a smile and a nod. "I hope your rooms are to your liking."

With that, Grumman, Riza, and Maes bid them goodbye and left them to their own devices.

* * *

Hours later, Riza found herself collapsed on her lower bunk with little memory of how she had arrived there. She noticed that she was still in her nice clothes from earlier. Riza then turned her head and saw Sheska, Winry, and Rebecca sitting around the room, eating food out of little cardboard containers. Sheska was the first to notice she had woken up.

"Whoa! Look who's finally alive!"

The other two turned to look at Riza with equal surprise.

"What time is it?" Riza asked, feeling completely groggy and confused and hating every moment of it.

"Quarter to eight," Rebecca said as she chugged half of her energy drink. "You've been passed out for almost two hours."

"Really?" Riza mumbled as she rubbed the back of her head and realized she had fallen asleep with her hair clips in her hair, which were now imbedded in her scalp. "What happened?"

Rebecca let out a small chuckle at her friends' confusion before she answered.

"You came back to the dorm about a thirty minutes after the ceremony ended."

"Yeah, I remember that," Riza said with a nod as she kicked off her high heals. "Then I left to go give a tour to the exchange kids."

"Yup," Rebecca said with a nod.

"And then you came back at six," Winry finished.

"You stomping through here face red, looking just as pissed as you were when Jean spilled a Monster in your purse and didn't tell you about it," Rebecca said with a laugh. "I asked what was up but you gave me a look and collapsed on your bed. You were out within a minute."

"You must have been tired," Sheska said sympathetically.

"Well I was. Two hours spent running around outside, showing them building after building and telling them facts that they probably didn't give a damn about. So much fun."

"Do they even speak English?" Winry asked before she took a bite of her meal.

"Yeah they do," Riza remembered. "They speak it really well in fact. You can hardly even tell that they're from another country. Only the old man had an accent."

"Well that must have made things a little easier."

"Not really. I don't know what was the matter with them but the older girl kept glaring at the little girl and the little girl kept glaring at her and the other guy and the guy just stood there, smiling the entire time. And whenever me or Maes or the Headmaster would get too close to the guy, the older girl would stiffen up and would act weirder. I just don't get it."

"Who knows," Rebecca said with a shrug. "You know how weird those Chinese are. I mean, they've got that crazy dictator who's an angrier midget than Ed was freshman year."

Riza, Sheska, and Winry all slapped their faces and then groaned simultaneously.

"What?" Rebecca cried, obviously annoyed.

"That's _North Korea_, you dumbass," Riza said.

"Who cares? You know I don't pay attention in history!"

"You don't pay attention in any class," Sheska said with a smirk, causing Winry to grin at the dark-haired girl.

"I don't need school," Rebecca said with a fluid roll of her shoulders. "I already know what I'm going to do with my life. I'm going to join the army like my dad and stay in it for the rest of my life. Recruiters take anyone. I don't need good grades to get in."

"You're gonna join the army?" Winry asked, surprised that someone like Rebecca would willingly decide to join such a profession.

"Yup. I'll be just like my dad."

Rebecca reached over to her desk and picked up one of the picture frames sitting on her desk. She handed it to Winry for her to see it. In the picture was a man, with Rebecca's dark hair, eyes, and warm skin tone, dressed in camouflaged military wear. Sitting next to him on the hood of a large jeep was a girl who had to be a younger Rebecca. Both of them wore identical smiles.

"Lieutenant Colonel Robert Catalina," Rebecca said with a smile. "He's stationed in Iraq right now."

"I'm sorry," Winry muttered, not sure of what else to say.

Rebecca shrugged before placing the picture delicately back on the desk. There was a small pause of silence in the room after this.

"Anyways, I don't need geography or most of the crap they force down our throats here."

Riza rolled her eyes before smiling and changing the subject to plans for the night.

* * *

"Have you finished this book yet, brother?" Al asked, holding up a thick book to his brother, who was lounging on his bed.

Edward nodded and flipped the page of the book he was reading. A minute later, he responded to his brother.

"There wasn't really anything new in it. Same stuff really. You can return it to the library."

"Alright," Al said with a nod as he placed the book in a pile of books that would be returned to the library.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Al looked up at the door at the sound; Ed didn't give it any bit of his attention. Al got up from his seat on the floor and walked to the door.

"What's up Al!" cried a blond at the door.

"Russell! Fletcher! What's up guys?" Al laughed as the taller blond ruffled Al's hair and gave him a small punch on the arm.

"We just got in about an hour ago," the shorter blond said.

"We didn't even hear you guys," Al said, thinking of how the other boys were just a few doors away.

"Ehh, we were both pretty tired from the drive," said the older boy as he walked into the room. "Hey Ed, what's up you little bookworm?"

Edward snapped his book shut and pressed his lips into a firm line before he got up and walked towards the boy.

"Nothing much," Ed said, suddenly grinning widely. "How 'bout you, Russ?"

"Holy shit!" Russell cried. He then raised his hand and brushed it over his own and then moved it forwards to Ed's head. "You actually grew ya little midget!"

"Who are you calling a midget?" Ed growled. "We're the same freaking height!"

"Yeah well, I'm younger than you so since I'm taller than you than you were at my age, you're still the midget."

"I may be shorter but that doesn't mean that I can't kick your ass!" Ed cried before tackling the blond.

"Just like old times," Al said with a small chuckle before he turned to the other boy.

Russell and Fletcher Tringham had been friends with the Elrics since their first day together last year. Both brother's were smart and witty like the Elrics and both sets of brothers had a hot-headed older brother with a calm and collected little brother.

Russell was a sophomore with short, light blond hair and blue-grey eyes. He was now eye to eye with Edward and had similar build as Ed. He did have a small string of admirers throughout the campus because of his intelligence and good looks.

Fletcher was going to be a freshman this year but still could easily pass as a seventh year. He was already short but add in his gentle attitude, round face and eyes, and soft voice and he might as well be a little kid. He too had his brother's light blond hair and blue-grey eyes but his blond hair stuck up at odd angles, also making him look younger than he already looked.

"Russ has been waiting to come back you know," Fletcher said quietly to Al as the two older blonds continued to fight. "He's been missing you guys. I have too."

"We missed you guys too," Al said with a wide smile. "So, how was your summer?"

"Oh it was fine…"

* * *

"We've got a problem."

The four girls turned from their places around the room to look at the doorway. Roy was standing in the middle of it, looking exhausted and irritated.

"What?" Rebecca asked, sounding annoyed. "Did you finally realize that you're in love with yourself?"

"I am not in love with myself, you idiot!" Roy yelled, voice cracking.

"Well I sure hope not because he's a real asshole," Rebecca said with a nod.

Roy clenched his jaw as Riza, Winry, and Sheska smirked and giggled at their fighting. He then glared at Rebecca, who was looking particularly smug.

"Alright," Riza said, sensing that they were going to go on for a while, "what's the big problem?"

"Gracia just got in."

"What?" Riza said in surprise before she lunged for her purse and ripped out her phone. "Damn, my phone was off. I didn't notice her text."

"Me too," Sheska said, frowning at her phone screen.

"Crap," Rebecca groaned, falling on to her back.

"What's the matter?" Winry asked, very confused. "I thought you all liked Gracia."

"Oh we do," Riza said earnestly. "She's seriously the nicest person in the world."

"Totally," Sheska said, nodding.

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's just that… well, you remember how Maes freaked out when you asked who she was and then shoved five billion pictures of her up your nose," Roy said, sitting down against the door.

"Yeah," Winry said, remembering the incident quite clearly.

"Well it's gonna be worse than that. Like, a hundred times worse," Roy said. "For about a month."

"Why?"

"Because Maes is totally crazy for her and she is totally crazy for him, although she is surprisingly good at hiding her crazy," Roy added. "Not many women are good at hiding the crazy."

Roy then gave a rather strong look at Rebecca, who then proceeded to throw the closest thing at him, which happened to be a yellow flip-flop. Roy dodged it gracefully and then smirked at her.

"_Anyways_," Riza said loudly, once again breaking up the fight before it could escalate, "they both in love and it is sweet… but also _super_ annoying sometimes."

"Yeah," Roy said. "And they've been apart for about a month and that's the longest they've ever been apart since they got together last year. So you should expect to see lot's of disgusting and rather public displays of affection and I suggest you get some strong ear plugs for daily wear."

"…why?" Winry asked hesitantly."

"Because they are disgustingly cute," Rebecca said with a strong nod. "it will seriously make you vomit sometimes and if you can't hear their cutesy little pet names and giggles, you'll have a stronger chance at keeping your breakfast down."

"Oh."

"You know they aren't that bad," Sheska said. "They are really sweet."

"Well you're a crazy woman who loves anything romantic or cute or gushy," Rebecca said.

"So?" Sheska asked defensively.

"Well, I gotta go and see if the two love-birds have left the room yet," Roy said, getting up from the floor.

"You mean you actually had to see them reunite?" Riza asked.

"Oh yeah," Roy said with a shudder. "I think Jean make still be puking."

"Well, good luck with that," Rebecca said.

"Hey, if everyone's up to it, do you want to go to the island tonight?" he asked, pausing on his way out.

"Do we have a way to get there?"

"Yeah. Me and Jean brought like, five blow up rafts to mess around in. We could totally use them to get there."

"Blow up rafts?" Rebecca scoffed. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"It's not like they're little flimsy things you can buy for five bucks at Wall Mart. They're made to go through rapids. They had paddles and everything."

"Fine," Rebecca said, rolling her eyes. "But it's your ass I'm going to kick if I end up in the water."

"I'm gonna go see what everyone else is up to."

"'kay. Bye."

Once Roy's footsteps had disappeared down the hall, Riza, Rebecca, and Sheska turned to Winry, all grinning ear to ear.

"What?"

"Are you ready for your first real party?"

* * *

**So, next chapter should be pretty interesting. There will probably be more Ling, Lan Fan, and Mei along with some epic shenanigans on the island.**

**Hopefully it won't take a month for me to update it... *crosses fingers***

**Please send me a review! :D**

**-FSK**


	9. The Island

**Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay (again...) Hopefully I'll get back into updating regularly soon.**

**Anyways, apparently there are award thingy's for fanfiction stories and my story Brotherhood has been nominated for Best FMA AU story. I was kinda shocked when I got the email and then I felt awesome. But if you'd like to vote for my story (which I hope you will) I'll send you the link but voting doesn't start until the 23rd of April.**

**Now, back to Decide news. There will be some shenanigans in this chapter and hopefully I'll have made up for not updating by giving you an extra long chapter. Thank you Dani, my amazing editor, for helping me again.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Just as the last rays of light were shinning on the grounds, a group of teenagers were emerging from their dorm as stealthily as possible. They walked as calmly as they could towards the wooden bridge as some of them carried boxes and other inconspicuous plastic blue bags. The curfew for juniors was ten-thirty but since they had younger member in their group, they had to be careful not to draw attention to themselves when they were out and about later at night.

The nine teenagers slid under the bridge, ignoring the cobwebs and spiders that crawled under it as they waited for their other two friends to arrive. After about ten minutes of this, several of them had become rather annoyed.

"Where are those two idiots?" Rebecca asked in a muttered growl. "How long does it take to inflate two rafts and then run them over here?"

"There could be campus patrol out," Gracia suggested softly.

Once Maes and Gracia had finally become unwound from each other, she was introduced to Winry and greeted the others. Winry could see what the others were talking about, everything about the girl said friendly and kind; from her soft brown hair and her round, blue eyes to slight frame and her soft voice.

"It's best that they're playing it safe, especially if we get caught, we'll be lucky if we don't get kicked out of the school."

Winry felt her stomach lurch at the comment. In a few of their bags were alcoholic beverages and cigarettes, mainly for Jean. Winry had drunk a few times before at her friends parties back home, but she didn't know what would happen if she got kicked out of the boarding school for drinking under the influence, not to mention breaking about another dozen rule by sailing to the small island.

Just as Winry was about to leave, there was a gentle splashing noise that sounded like a waterfall to their hypersensitive hearing.

"Hey!" Roy called out in a hushed voice as he paddled the large blue raft towards them with Jean in another just behind him.

"Took you guys long enough," Rebecca muttered as she hopped into Roy's raft.

"We ran by North to see if Vato was there," Jean said in a whisper as he checked over his shoulder.

"Well duh he wouldn't be here yet!" Riza hissed to them, clearly annoyed that she had to wait; Winry got to feeling that she didn't like breaking the rules as much as the others did. Maybe it was because her grandfather was the headmaster. Winry didn't know what would happen if her grandmother found out what she was doing tonight. "In the last four years he's been here, he's been lucky to show up before the first day!"

"Well sor-_ry_," Jean said with a huff.

"Who's Vato?" Winry asked, looking at Gracia and Sheska but before either could answer, someone else did.

"He's a pot headed super-senior," Ed said as he helped Sheska into one of the boats. "I swear he's like, twenty by now but he gets things like booze and cigarettes and porn sent to him. He runs a Black Market from his dorm room."

Edward then held out a hand to help her into one of the rafts. After a half-second of indecision, Winry smiled slightly at him before gripping his hand and moving into Roy's raft.

"Everyone on?" Roy hissed before he begun to hand an ore to a few people in the boat.

Winry found herself wedged between Maes and Edward, who were both in charge of helping Roy paddle the raft. Even though it was dark, Winry could see Rebecca shooting her looks while nodding to a once again oblivious Ed. Winry tried her best to ignore her.

Once they had gotten out from under the bridge and were a few yards away from the shore, there really wasn't that much light around them. There wasn't much noise either, unnerving Winry to no end. She stared at the water that surrounded their raft and saw it was black with the night. She wondered vaguely how deep the lake was.

"Come on guys!" Roy hissed from ahead of them. "We're drifting too far to the right. We're gonna end up hitting the rocks."

Suddenly, the waves from the water got stronger and began to push and shove the raft's soft sides and bottom. Winry's heart beat increased as she tried to tell herself to calm down.

_They know what they're doing_, she told herself. _They've been doing this for years haven't they? I'm sure they know what to do._

Winry gave up after a few moments of this and just decided to close her eyes, try her best to block out the noises that surrounded her, and breathe deeply. She heard a chuckle from someone nearby but when she opened her eyes and looked around, no one seemed to be paying attention to her.

Jean's raft was moving along a few feet in front of them but it was hardly visible in the darkness. Even though the moon was nearly full, they raft was only a dark spot to her. Even the people around her weren't that visible.

"We should be coming up on the shore in a minute or two," Roy said in a whisper as he began to paddle faster towards the hulking outline in front of them.

The island looked so tiny from the wooden bridge but now it looked mush larger than any of the other could have explained it. It was probably half the length of her dorm building and was thickly covered in trees. Lastly, Winry noticed the sharp outcroppings that jutted out of the water. She could see waved crashing against the sides, immediately picturing herself being smashed against them.

"Left!" Roy cried as quietly as he could as he began maneuvering around some of the large rocks. "Damn, that was close!"

"Hey!" Rebecca cried as a wave made by a furiously moving paddle splashed her. "Watch where you're moving that thing!"

"Sorry, Rebecca," Edward growled though his teeth. "But here I was busy trying to make sure you didn't get smashed into one of those huge rocks."

Winry's eyes caught Ed's for a fraction of a second and it was then that she noticed that his golden eyes seemed to glow slightly in the dark like an animal's do. Before she could ponder this new addition for much longer, the bottom of the raft began to shudder and Roy, Maes, and Ed hopped out of the raft and began pulling them up onto shore.

They had all made it in one piece. Winry breathed a sigh of relief as she took her first steps onto the gravely shore. There was a strip of beach that was probably ten feet wide that appeared to wrap around the trees. Someone tapped on her shoulder and she jumped a foot in the air.

"Whoa! Calm down jumpy!" Sheska said with a small laugh. "Here."

In her hand was a small, plastic flashlight. Winry grabbed it after a moment's thought.

"It can get pretty dark in there."

"R-right."

Once the group had reached the edge of the forest, Maes pulled back a large branch way and revealed a well beaten path. As they walked, Winry thought of how students must have been using this path for decades.

"How far away are we going?" Winry asked Riza, feeling slightly nervous. She couldn't help but picture every scary movie she had ever seen and kept expecting some disfigured person to come up and attack them.

"Oh, it's not that far," she said with a smile. "Just another minute or two."

"Alright…"

And Riza was right. I just over a minute, they arrived at a large clearing. The group waited while Jean sprinted over somewhere to turn on the lights. When he did, Winry's eyes were assaulted by brightness and had to blink away spots for a minute before she could take everything in.

There was a slight slope downwards but stopped when it reached a large concrete slab that had to be about fifteen feet long on either side. On top of the slab was a tent of sorts but after another second's glance, she saw that it was really just a protector from rain and bugs. Underneath is sat what appeared to be two beaten up couches that looked like they were from the seventies, a few plastic chairs, and a fire pit. To the left of the patio set, stood a decaying barn; Winry could see through a hole in the wall. Hanging all over the place- on the tent, on the shed, and even in some trees- were Christmas lights of all colors, blinking different colors into the blackness of the night. Several of their bulbs had gone out. Scattered around on the grass were knocked over plastic chairs covered in dirt, empty coolers laying on their sides, deflated balls, and tons of neglected debris from another party: crushed cups and cans, plastic silver wear that looked slightly gnawed on, cigarette butts, and what appeared to be tattered articles of clothing.

Roy let out a long, low whistle as he took in the picture.

"Damn, this place looks like shit."

For some reason Winry couldn't understand, he seemed to sound happy or even a little proud about it.

"It wasn't my job to clean it up after the party last year," Jean muttered as he looked at the ground and poked a piece of cloth with his shoe. His face then lit up and he bent down to grab the item. "Hey! It's my lucky shirt! I was wondering where it went to."

Without giving it more than a seconds thought, Jean gave the slightly stiff shirt a shake before tugging it over his head and over his clean shirt. This caused a chorus of disapproving noise to come from his friends.

"Ugh! Jean! Do you have any idea how many animals have probably pissed on that?" Maes cried, skirting away from him.

"I'm gonna take a guess on… a lot," he said, completely unfazed.

"Well then why the hell did you put it on?" Riza cried.

"Do you have any idea how many finals this shirt has got me through? It also saved my _life_!" Jean asked, looking at them as if they were the ones who had just pulled an extremely dirty shirt over their head. "It had me pass the Bio and History finals last year. Thanks to this shirt, I passed last year!"

"Or maybe it's because you're actually _smart,_" Gracia said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well clearly you're wrong on that one, Gracia," Rebecca said. "What person who wasn't mentally retarded would do something like that?"

"Someone who doesn't want to fail a grade, that's who," Jean said seriously.

"Ugh, let's just get on with the party," Roy said, sighing at his friends. "We can run back here tomorrow or something and do damage control. But first off, I wanna know who'll be designated drivers because I don't want another river ride fiasco."

"What?" Winry asked.

"Nothing that important," Al said with a shrug. "Everyone was either wasted or asleep and wouldn't wake up and well… it took quite a while to get back to our dorm while paddling upriver."

"Man, that was awesome," Jean said, grinning.

"We all almost got expelled," Russell said, his face rather serious.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and what doesn't get you expelled because one hell of a story," Jean said.

"Any ways," Gracia said loudly. "Who's going to be the responsible ones tonight?"

"I'll be fine," Edward said, raising his hand.

"Me too," Riza said.

"I don't usually drink so…" Russell said with a kind of 'duh' expression on his face; Fletcher nodded next to him.

"Whatever, that's enough. Let's get the started!"

People began to run around the area, setting things up, leaving Winry to stand there, not sure of what to do but watch. Coolers were kicked over, sprayed with a hose that appeared to have come out of the barn, and then filled with ice and several kinds of drinks. Small lights that she didn't notice before were being turned on all around the place. Dust and leaves were being brushes off of chairs and couches and the fire in the process of starting. Winry jumped in the air as a loud crackle of static rang across the ground. Everyone turned towards the barn to see Maes sticking his head out of the door.

"Sorry. Speakers are a little rusty."

After a moment of fiddling with the sound system, clear music rang out of two black speakers that were positioned on either side of the barn. A rock song that Winry couldn't place came on and soon enough, drinks were passed out and people were dancing and jumping and lounging around the area.

"Hey."

Winry turned to see Al standing next to her, smiling kindly and holding out a red cup to her. She took it but sipped it hesitantly. She was pleasantly surprised when she found it was just a coke.

"Um, hi," she said after a larger sip. "And thanks."

"No problem. And you don't have to worry; I didn't spike it or anything."

That thought hadn't even occurred to Winry and it must have registered on her face, because Al chuckled at her.

"Yeah, I would be a little hesitant on anything Jean gives you but everything else would probably be safe."

"Um, okay," Winry said with a small laugh.

* * *

"Yo, Eddy!" Roy cried as he jumped over the arm of one of the old couches and landed next to Ed. "What's been up with you?"

"Nothing much," Ed said into his red cup filled with beer. "And don't call my Eddy."

"Ah, sorry," he said with a grin. "So, how was your summer, man? I wanted everyone to get together on Fourth of July for a barbeque or something. You really missed out."

"Sorry," Ed muttered; and he was actually sorry.

Usually, Edward wasn't in the mood to do many parties or goof around too much but he had actually been planning on taking a road trip with Al to Roy's place to see his friends. Even if it didn't seem like it at times, he did like his friends a lot and was vey grateful for having them. But unfortunately, the day before they were going to leave, their mother, Trisha, had gotten sick.

She could hardly get out of bed and needed constant attention. And even though their father was home to take care of her and Trisha told them to leave and to have fun, neither of them felt like going anymore. Sometimes her attacks could last for days and even weeks and Ed knew that he wouldn't be in a good mood while he was out of town and away from his deathly ill mother.

"So why did you bail? You said you were going right?"

"Yeah. Me and Al got food poisoning and we couldn't go," Ed muttered, wishing this was the reason why he couldn't go. "I do wish I had gone though."

"…I know," Roy said with a shrug, staring intently at his friends face. "You don't miss out on the big parties unless you have to."

Ed gave him a thin smile before he chugged the rest of his drink.

"Well, I need to go get a refill," Ed said, standing up. "You need one?"

"Nah, I'm fine for now."

Just as Edward was leaving the tent, Russell was entering it and collapsed on the opposite couch. Once Edward was out of earshot, Roy leaned over to the other blond.

"Hey Russ."

"Oh, hey Roy," he said, sipping his soda.

"I was just wondering, but do you know why Ed and Al didn't come to out Fourth of July party?"

"Yeah, they got sick or something," he said with a shrug. "Why are you asking?"

"Just wondering," Roy said quietly before he put a large grin on his face. "He missed one hell of a party."

* * *

Edward stared around the party as he stood against the wall of the barn, a small smile playing on his lips. He had missed his friends more than he let on.

Rebecca and Sheska were doing some lude dance while Gracia and Riza were engaging in more appropriate dances as bad rap music blared out of the speakers. Jean, Roy, Maes sat on the couches, drunkenly laughing about some story that Jean was telling. At one point in the story, he jumped on the back of the couch and almost fell over onto the concrete. Lastly, he noticed Al, Russell, Fletcher, and Winry talking around on of the coolers that was probably filled with sodas.

Ed hadn't really talked to Winry but everyone else seemed to like her, so having her here was fine with him. Al and the other guys seemed to really like her, since they had been talking a laughing together for the past ten minutes. Al caught his eye and gestured for him to come over to them. Ed pushed off of the tree and walked over to the group.

"What's up guys?" Ed asked once he had reached the group.

"Nothing," Al said with a shrug. "You just looked like a lost puppy standing up there all alone."

Ed rolled his eyes at this.

"Yeah, why do you always just stand somewhere and _watch_ people have fun?" Russell asked with a grin. "You know, it's a lot more fun to actually join in on the festivities."

"Oh shut up," he growled, giving the blue-eyed boy a small punch in the arm. "I was just watching you all because I missed watching all of you make an ass out of yourselves."

"Did you here that?" Russell cried, causing everyone to turn and look at the group. Russell threw a heavy arm over Ed's neck and brought him into a headlock of sorts. "Ed actually said that he missed us! Can you believe that?"

Edward's face began to redden as his friends made odd, drunken remarks to the sudden outburst.

"_AWW?_ Really, Ed?" Roy cried. "I didn't know you felt that way about us!"

"You really do care!" Jean cried out drunkenly.

"Well you have an odd way of showing it," Rebecca said.

"Ugh, damn you, Russell," Ed grumbled as he tried to break out of Russell's strong hold.

"What? It's good for your friends to know how you really feel," he said with a smirk before he let Edward out.

"I swear Tringham, I am gonna kick your ass," Ed growled.

"Only if you can catch me!" he laughed before he ran off into the woods.

Just as Edward was about to run after him, he paused at the sound of a laugh. He turned around and saw Winry, laughing at him. When he caught her eye however, she seemed to stop but Ed could tell she wanted to continue laughing. He gave his head a shake before he bolted after Russell.

"Brother!" Al cried in exasperation. "Don't go running off into the woods! It's dark!"

"You could get hurt!" Fletcher yelled, looking just as tired with his older brother as Al did.

The two ran after their older brothers, leaving Winry alone. But she wasn't alone for long. Rebecca and Sheska stumbled over to her, both of them holding the other up and sloshing their drinks onto their bare toes.

"So, what were you talkin' about to them?" Rebecca asked, her dark eyes a little glassy.

"Yeah," Sheska giggled. "I hear the best way to get to a crush is through their friends."

"I wasn't doing anything like that," Winry huffed. "I was just making friends."

"Sure you were," Rebecca said before Sheska burst out laughing and fell to the ground, which caused Rebecca to fall to the ground.

"Oh boy."

Winry looked up and Riza and Gracia running towards them, looking both annoyed and concerned. Riza helped Rebecca up while Gracia went to pick up Sheska.

"These two really need to have a cut off of how much they can drink," Riza sighed she tried to her friend to her feet. "They're always causing problems."

"Let's just get them to the couch and hopefully they'll behave," Gracia said with a sigh. "Winry, can you help me with her?"

"Ah, sure."

Together, Winry and Gracia half carried, half dragged Sheska to the tent; Riza just seemed to drag her friend on the ground.

"Move it," Riza growled to Roy, Jean, and Maes, who were still sitting on the couches.

"Gracia!" Maes cried, quickly tugging Sheska's dead weight from out of the two girls grasp. "Why didn't you ask me to do this? I don't want my beautiful flower to get hurt carrying a drunk!"

"I was fine Maes," she said with a small smile before she placed a small kiss on his cheek. "I can take care of my friends."

"Oh, Gracia! You're such a self-less person!" Maes cried before he enveloped her into a large hug and began spinning her around.

Winry and Riza watched the scene, backing up quite a bit so that they wouldn't be hit by one of Gracia's flailing limbs.

"This guys nuts," Winry said quietly to Riza.

"Are you just now figuring this out or are you stating the obvious?"

Winry laughed at this, now realizing that underneath Maes's calm demeanor housed a complete madman.

* * *

The party ended around one in the morning. Roy had informed Winry that the easiest time of the night to sneak back was at about one-thirty, when there was the first shift of the night patrol ended.

While Winry and a few others helped to clean up parts of the grounds, other able-bodied people carried those who were incapacitated or were merely passed out from drink or exhaustion. Winry didn't blame the few who had passed out, she was feeling rather tired and was probably going to fall asleep on the ride back to shore.

Once all the lights and music were turned off and everyone was accounted for and inside the boats, they pushed off the shore as quietly as they could and slowly paddled to shore. Again, Winry felt the nervous knots begin to form in her stomach in fear of being caught but they weren't as prominent as before. And after ten minutes of slow, calculated paddling, they floated under the bridge and out of sight.

"Okay, me and Jean will go and take these back," Ed whispered as he helped people from the rafts.

"Here Sheska," Winry said quietly, as she helped her dozing friend out of the boat and onto shore.

"Where am I?" she muttered a little too loudly for everyone's liking.

"Shh…" Winry said to her, covering her mouth. "We're going back to the dorm alright?"

"Oh dat's good," she said loudly through Winry's hand. "I'm exhausted."

"We shouldn't even bother trying to wake her up anymore," Riza sighed as she helped Rebecca into a standing position. "She's always so loud."

"Okay now," Roy said once Ed and Jean had begun to slowly paddle away. "We need to go in groups of twos and threes. Winry, are you okay with Sheska?"

"Uh, I think I'm gonna need a hand," Winry said as she tested to see if Sheska could walk, but nearly dropped her in the process.

"Okay, I'll help you with her. Maes, are you going with Gracia?"

"Of course!" Maes whispered.

Gracia lived in Central dorm but it really wasn't that much farther away from the bridge than East Dorm was.

"Anyone else need help?"

"I'm good," Riza said as she righted Rebecca, who gave everyone a thumbs up and an odd grin.

"Good, let's go," Roy said before he and Winry began moving towards their dorm building.

It had taken three heart pounding minutes for them to run while carrying Sheska back to the safety of the dorm. They relaxed once they were inside the dorm since they were allowed to be anywhere inside it after hours. They waited until everyone had returned before they made their way to the elevator and rode up to the third floor.

Once inside her dorm room, Winry was glad that she had the top bunk and wouldn't have to haul Sheska up there. She took off her shoes and glasses and laid her on her side, remembering that people could choke on their vomit in their sleep. Next, she placed a small trash can by Sheska's head, hoping that she had good aim. Winry then stripped of her outer clothes and crawled into bed, exhausted.

* * *

"Okay, time to go," Ed whispered as he closed the door behind him.

"Hopefully Patrol won't be over here yet," Jean sighed.

The clock on his cell phone said it was just one-thirty which was when the next shift started. It usually took them a few minutes to make it back to the farther half of campus which would hopefully give them a few more minutes to get back.

The two ran from building to building, constantly checking for anyone and anything that moved. Even though term hadn't actually started yet, the Patrol was usually stern and might assign them detentions already

They had made it over the bridge, which was always the most nerve wracking part of this trek and were now in the homestretch. They were standing at the corner of Building C, just thirty feet or so away from the side exit of East Dorm.

"Let's go," Jean hissed before the two made a run for it.

"Hold up!" came a loud yell from probably twenty feet away.

They both felt their stomach twist and their heart rate increased. Together, they turned and tried their best to look innocent; Jean just hoped he didn't smell too much like alcohol and cigarettes. Standing in front of them was a woman, probably in her late thirties, dressed in all black with the school crest on there black vest.

It was a campus patrol agent.

"Where do you two boys think you're going so late at night?" She asked sternly.

And they were trapped like rats.

* * *

**Dun-dun-nuh! :P**

**So I'm sure to have the next chapter up soon since I have about half of it done already. :)**

**Thanks for reading and here's the link to the website so you can vote for me...hopefully: fmagoldworthaward .wordpress. com/best-au/ (take out the spaces) And once you're there, just enter you e-mail into the little white bar on the right side of the page and it should tell you when you can vote. :) *Remember, voting's April 23rd* **

**Thanks for reading and I really hope you vote for my story. :)**

**-FSK**


	10. Summer's End

**Hello everyone! I'm actually updating soon! (Yay! Chapter 10!)**

**Thanks a lot for all the reviewed last chapter and super thanks to my editor for editing lots lately! :D**

**Now, last time I updated, I told you how my one story Brotherhood was nominated for an award and I'd like to remind you again that TOMORROW is when you can vote for my story. (hopefully) I'll have the link at the bottom. :)**

**Now, time for the story and I hope you all love it.**

* * *

The woman flashed her bright flashlight into their faces as she moved closer. Edward was so insanely glad that Russell and Al had offered to take the alcohol they had brought back with them. Being caught out after curfew was one thing but being caught with alcohol was worth at least a suspension.

The woman stopped two feet away from them. She was a bit taller than Ed but Jean towered over her; she didn't seem to mind. She carried the same air Riza did when she was pissed except this was worse because this woman wasn't a friend they could defuse in a few minutes.

Ed could see her give the two a tiny sniff. Could she smell alcohol or cigarette smoke on them? Or was this simply something she did with everyone she caught because obviously, all teenagers drink and smoke illegally.

She started at them for a long minute, unnerving Ed and Jean, before she spoke in a harsh voice that told them they wouldn't be getting out of this one easily.

"Are you two aware of what time it is?" she barked out.

"Um, yeah," Ed said quietly. "It's like, one-thirty."

Sometimes they would try and play dumb, -say their phone broke and they didn't know what time it was, that they had fallen asleep in a random field and they lost track of time, that they were staying up late trying to finish a project in one of the libraries, even pretend they didn't even speak English- but this woman clearly would not take any of joking around and would probably only add to their punishment if they did.

"_Like_ one-thirty?" she repeated, sounding slightly patronizing. "It is exactly one-thirty-nine in the morning, which is almost two hours later than any student should be allowed outside. Do you have anything to say for yourselves?"

Edward exchanged a look with Jean before he shook his head.

"Well, how about we go see what the Headmaster has to say about this," she said coldly before she tightly gripped both Jean's and Ed's wrist. "Come now."

* * *

"And what do you expect me to do?" Grumman asked tiredly.

The woman had practically dragged the two to the administration building and into Grumman's office. Edward and Jean were both surprised when they found Grumman at his desk, working but close to sleep. Now, they sat on the couch, trying to look innocent, while the woman tried to throw them under the preverbal bus. Grumman however, didn't seem to be interested with it in the least.

"It's now over two hours past their curfew," she growled. "I expect you to deal with them as a Headmaster should."

"Yes well, since term has not yet started, there really isn't much to do," Grumman said, sounding slightly annoyed with the woman. "And even if term had started, I would give them a warning since this is a first offense. But as it not, I shall do neither but ask you to please escort them back to their dormitory. I have much more pressing matters to attend to."

The woman looked as if he had jumped over the desk and slapped her across the face. He gave the woman a little nod and a stern look before she relented.

All Edward and Jean could do was give Grumman an appreciative smile behind the woman's back, which he returned, and silently thank that Grumman wasn't known for his sternness.

* * *

"What happened, guys?" Roy cried as Jean and Ed made their way through the front doors of the dorm.

Roy had seen Ed and Jean being taken away by the Patrol Officer and immediately went to tell all of the others who were awake at the time. He didn't know what would happen. Headmaster Grumman was a rather lenient man and believed greatly in giving warnings instead of punishment and term hadn't officially started yet. But what if they had been caught with alcohol or spelled like the stuff? Roy was pretty sure Grumman's leniency had to end at some point and underage drinking was probably where he drew the line.

Edward and Jean both gave a relieved smile and let out a relieved breath of air.

"Nothing, man," Jean said. "He let us go. Not even with the usual slap on the wrist."

"What?"

"He said because term hadn't started there really wasn't anything he could have done."

"Not like he really seemed into dolling out punishments," Ed muttered.

"Yeah, the poor guy looked like a mess."

"Well school is starting a few days. He must busy with getting ready," Roy said, which earned a shrug from the two blonds.

Edward let out an enormous yawn and stretched his arms into the air.

"Man, am I beat," he mumbled before he begun dragging himself towards the elevator. "I don't know what I'm going to do Thursday when we have to be up at eight."

"Well maybe you shouldn't stay up until four every night reading," Roy said, following after Ed and giving him a small conk on the head with his fist.

* * *

"Wake _up_, Winry!"

"Go…" Winry grumbled as several people continue to shove and shake her while she's trying to sleep.

"Come _on_! Our uniforms just came in! We have to try them on," Rebecca shouts ungodly loud into her uncovered ear.

After another minute of this, Winry opened her eyes to find Rebecca, Sheska, Riza, and Gracia standing around her bed, all in varying degrees of being dressed. On the floor are a number of thin, rectangular boxes, some with brown paper wrapping them and some with every scrap torn off of it while others are ripped apart with its contents lying on the floor.

Winry glanced at her clock and saw that it was half-past ten, not too late to be sleeping in but she assumed if everyone else was up and somewhat dressed, she probably should be too. She pushed the blankets off of her body and dangled her thin, pale legs over the edge.

"So what's going on again?"

Even though their party had been two nights ago, Winry still felt exhausted. Many of her friends had resigned themselves to staying in bed the day after, with minimal sound, light, and food, but she didn't think she was tired from an excessive hangover, mainly because she didn't drink at all at the party. Maybe it was just end of summer blues weighing her down.

"We got our new school uniforms," Riza informed her with a tired look; Winry guessed Riza may have been woken up in the same manner she was. "Yours is right over there."

Winry looked at her own desk and saw a larger box, wrapped in the same brown paper and string as the others, with her name, dorm, and room number carefully written across the middle. A small ripple of uncertainty passed by her. She hadn't bothered to look at pictures of what her new uniform would look like, and now she kinda wished she did so she'd know what she was in for.

"You should try it on so that you can make sure everything fits," Gracia said wisely as she pulled a grey sweater vest over her head and studied its fit on her small body.

Once the paper was taken off the box, the lid removed, and the tissue paper taken out, Winry took out her uniform piece by piece. First came out the stiff, black blazers, the school crest plastered onto the left breast pocket; she had gotten two of them. Next came out three black, pleated skirts that fell to about knee length. After this came two pairs of black, pleated pants; at least she was going to a school were the uniform allowed girls to wear pants. After the pants, Winry pulled out two grey sweaters and two sweater-vests, both bearing the school's crest. Last of all, she pulled out ten white oxford shirts, five with long sleeves and five with elbow-length sleeves, and three red ties.

"_Woo_, you got the full set," Sheska said, staring at the bunches of new clothes. "I just had to get some new shirts and ties. I think Jean stole all mine."

"Jeeze, that must have run you a fortune," Rebecca commented. "And you got _five _with short sleeves? Man, my mom bought be three and told me that if I wanted to wear them everyday, I'd have to do my laundry more than once a week or I'd have to pay for them myself."

"Sucks for you," Sheska said with a little smile.

"Yeah, yeah it does suck," Rebecca said, looking quite serious.

"Well how about you try on your things so they all fit," Riza suggested with a smile.

"Go ahead," Rebecca said with a grumble. "I'm sure you'll look way better than I do."

Once in the bathroom with some of the articles of clothing, Winry slowly changed into her new school clothes, trying to get used to the feel of them all. She then came out of the bathroom, feeling a little hesitant about her appearance.

"I was right, you look way better than I do," Rebecca grumbled, looking like she was about to punch something.

"Turn around!" Gracia said with a little squeal. "Aw, you look like a little doll."

Winry tried to imagine what she looked like, since there was no full length mirror in the bathroom or in their room. She had tried on all the clothes but came out in what she'd probably wear to school on the first: black skirt, short-sleeved shirt, tie, sweater-vest, and the black blazer. It was all pretty comfortable and she was pretty sure she didn't look half bad in it. The only problem she had was the sweater-vest. Was she really expected to wear one in this kind of weather?

"Do we really have to wear all this when it's eighty degrees outside?" Winry asked with a small whine, tugging at the grey, soft fabric.

"Only on the first day really," Riza said. "Then you should be able to get away with just the shirt and tie and blazer."

"Oh, good," Winry sighed in relief.

There was a knock at the door and once Sheska said to come in, Roy poked his head inside the room. His face seemed to fall a bit at the sight at everyone with bits of new clothes layered over their own.

"Ugh, uniforms," he said, making a face, before turning to look at Winry. "Hmm, looks nice on you, Win."

"Oh, thanks," she said brightly, not used to compliments from the dark-haired boy.

Roy walked inside and collapsed on Sheska's computer chair, looking rather annoyed.

"You know, I'm all for equality but this school is just not very equal."

"What do you mean?" Winry asked while everyone else in the room groaned.

"Not this again," Sheska sighed.

"Roy, give it a rest, alright?" Riza growled, glaring at the dark-haired boy.

"No, I will not!" he yelled quickly before turning to Winry. "Okay so, it's nice and all the girls can wear both pants and skirts since we're all in 2009 and we're finally letting them be equal. But what I want to know is why wearing a skirt isn't an option for guys. Why not? Girls can wear pants and skirts but _oh!_ You get a boy wearing a skirt and suddenly, he's a cross-dressing freak!"

Winry stood there, not sure how to react to the teen's outburst. Was he being serious? Or was this just another end-of-summer rituals between the group of friends that she didn't know.

"And it's not just about the uniforms, it's about equal righ-!" Roy said before he was forced to stop when one of Riza's sandals made contact with the back of his head.

Roy turned around, looking like he was going to fight with her, but she spoke before he got the chance.

"Next I start throwing Sheska's sewing kit," Riza warned, holding up the bright orange basket that held needles, scissors, and pins. "Do you really think you want to continue?"

"…no," he muttered in a barely audible voice, staring at the ground like a punished child.

"Well then why'd you come in here?" Riza asked with a sigh, placing the sewing basket into Sheska's outstretched arms.

"Oh, right," Roy said, face snapping back to its usual calm/bored expression. "Just wanted to tell you that the schedules are downstairs in the mail-"

"What?" nearly all the girls in the room shouted in annoyance and surprise.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Rebecca cried before she burst out of the room, almost knocking Winry down in the process.

The group rushed out of the room after Rebecca and down to the mail room. Winry had never been down there before but knew the general location. As the group jogged along the hallway that lead to the room, her new friends pointed out a few things.

"These dorms are usually given to seniors who need time to study," Roy said, gesturing to the rows of doors, all shut tight, some with lights on, some without. "They're all so uptight and would probably be throwing a fit if we were running like this during the school year."

"Five bucks says that Ed will be one of these seniors next year," Sheska said with a little giggle.

"I'm surprised he didn't try and get one of these rooms this year," Riza said.

At the end of the hall, they reached a door and on the other side of it held a set of stairs that went to the floor below. The basement smelled of mildew and was chilling on Winry's skin but not in the way the air-conditioning was when they set it too low; she couldn't explain it. Winry was pretty sure Jean had joked about their being a ghost that haunted the mail room.

The mail room was large, probably almost as big as the common room. But unlike the friendly, comforting common room, the mail room was cold, dank, and dark when the lights flickered on and off. The three walls were devoted completely to the small copper-plated doors. Each was about a square foot and had the room number painted on it along with a small square of sticky paper with student's names. A small keyhole was placed on the corner of the doors, signaling that you needed your room key to open it. Rebecca was standing by one of the cubbies on right wall, staring down at a slip of paper, her dark eyes moving fast.

"So, what's the prognosis?" Roy asked, leaning against the wall next to her.

"I can't…believe it," she said slowly and quietly.

"What?" Sheska asked as she opened both hers and Winry's box with her room key.

"Guess what math they put me in?" she cried. "Just guess!"

"Algebra two," Riza answered, giving her a kind of 'what else would you be in' expression.

"No! No, they put me in _honors_ algebra two. _Honors_! Can you believe it?"

"No, I certainly can't," Roy said with a small smile.

"What's so bad about it?" Winry asked, glancing down at her schedule for a moment.

"First off, honors has like, _twice_ the work. Second, Al and Russell are probably in that class and they are just going to make me feel like a total dumbass!" Rebecca yelled, actually looking close to tears.

"Oh."

"Yeah, and that's not the only bad thing! It's my _first period_! How am I supposed to get a decent grade if I'm asleep in it?"

"I don't know," Roy said with a shrug. "Me and Jean slept through World History last year and I aced the final."

"Why don't you just go to sleep earlier?" Riza suggested.

"It won't help. You know me. Once school starts, I go from being a morning person to Roy before he's had any caffeine. And Meehan's already a hard-ass. He won't even let anyone put their head on their books!"

"Well, there's not much you can do," Gracia said with a shrug, peering at Rebecca's list. "Regular algebra's second period and that's the only time you could get craft class."

"Oh right… crap," Rebecca said, stamping her foot a little.

"You'll get over it," Roy said with a wave of his hand. "Al will help you when you're flunking out of school. The kid's too nice to just watch you fail a class."

Rebecca huffed and puffed like the big, bad, annoying wolf she was, but Roy just brushed it off, not in the mood to fight.

"What classes do you guys have?"

Winry stared at the stiff slip of paper and stared at her classes. She had the usual classes, all honors, like pre-calculus, English, chemistry, and Government and Economy but then she also had her electives. The one thing that had made coming to Amestris Academy bearable in the first place was the fact that they had a metal shop class, which she signed up for in a heartbeat. Then, in a moment of giddiness, had signed up for one of their cooking classes. She cooked a bit at home and liked doing it too so she thought she might as well try it.

"Winry, you have almost all the same classes as us," Gracia said with a smile.

When Winry looked at Riza, Gracia, and Roy's schedules, she saw that they did indeed have all the same core classes. The only thing that was different was their electives.

"Gracia, you're taking the foods class too?"

"Yeah. I love cooking."

"And you're seriously taking Child Development?" Rebecca asked with a scoff. "The only kids who should be taking that class are the knocked up chicks and their baby-daddies."

"Well me and Maes wanted-"

"Maes is taking it too?" Roy cried in shock while Rebecca made loud, exaggerated gagging noises. "You guys are just…"

* * *

"Aw, look at them all. They're so cute," Roy muttered as he stared down from the roof of East Dorm at the tiny figures below. "Do you ever remember being that small?"

Roy held up his right hand and began smashing the tiny figures of the students below with his thumb and forefinger.

"Hell no," Jean mumbled next to him.

"Well yeah, you probably jumped out of the womb six feet tall," Roy said with a smirk.

It was their last day of summer vacation. Tomorrow, they'd have to get up at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning, put on their crisp, hot uniform, sit at an assembly and then get to class to start another long year. And of course, the only way to celebrate the end of a summer was by having a party that probably involved breaking at least ten school rules.

Being on the roof of East Dorm was the most obvious rule broken.

Winry didn't know how they managed to get away with so much, but they did. Apparently, two years ago, Maes and Roy had managed to disarm the alarm on the emergency door that led up to the roof. At first glance, Winry couldn't see why being up here was worth the risk, not like going to the island. It was covered in hard, hot gravel along with lots of garbage and bird poop. But like everything these strange teens did, they made it fun.

They had taken one of the rafts they used to ride to the island and filled it with water as a make-shift waiting pool. Rebecca was currently floating around in a large inner tube that nearly took up the entire raft. She wore a bright magenta bikini with yellow poke dots, large sunglasses and an obscenely large straw hat.

Riza, Winry, Gracia and Sheska sat in their bathing suits on beach chairs, sipping sodas and chatting. Maes said a few feet away, making burgers two at a time on his small George Forman grill while he wore an apron that said 'Kiss the Cook'. Roy and Jean stood overlooking the edge, staring down at new arrivals and commenting on certain people: yelling hello if they liked them, spitting obstinacies if they hated them, and ducking if they saw someone who they thought would snitch on them.

Ed, Al, Russell, and Fletcher were no where to be seen. Roy kept commenting on how they had to show up or else.

"Calm down," Rebecca sighed as she drifted around the small pool of water. "I'm sure you're little boyfriends will show up an minute now."

And just as Roy opens his mouth to retort, the door opens and the four blond teenagers come running out. All of them look a little out of breath, as if they had just run from the bottom floor to the roof, which they might have just done.

"Where were you guys?" Maes asked as he checked his hamburgers.

"Down at the libraries," Ed said, taking off his black book bag and letting it fall on the ground with a heavy thud; it was probably filled with several books.

"Of course you were," Roy said with a slightly disapproving look.

"What? We had to go run down there and check out a book," Ed said as he took a soda from the cooler. "What if some dumb-ass kid took it and colored in it or something?"

"You have a serious problem my friend," Jean said with a shake of his head.

"Doesn't matter," Sheska said with a smile. "It's just good that you finally pulled yourself from the library and came up here."

"Exactly!" Jean cried as he fired off a tiny fire cracker. "Let's party like we don't have to get up early tomorrow!"

The roof top was filled with laughter and loud music as the group of friends ended their summer together. Water balloon fights were held, sometimes the balloons 'fell' over the edge and hit people below, and many slowly cooked burgers were made two at a time. When the sun went down, they all laid out on blankets and towels and stared up at the twinkling night. Slowly the friends' numbers dwindled, as more and more of the teenagers realized they should be in bed, until only a few remained. The ones who knew they could function on a few hours sleep or didn't care.

"Do you think this year will be good?" Jean asked as he blew out a large puff of smoke; he knew no one would see him smoking.

"I bet so," Roy said as he stared, seemingly mystified, at the moon.

"Hope so," Edward sighed, closing his eyes.

In his mind, he pictured finding the cure for his mother in one of the hundreds of books he spent pouring over. His mother would become healthy again and everything would be better with their family again. Then he and Al wouldn't have to spend hours in the library, reading and searching and then… what? What would he do if he was freed of that burden?

Edward opened his eyes and stared at the dark, inky sky.

If he didn't have to use all his spare would he act like the rest of his friends? Spend all of his spare time goofing around with them? Would he just turn into the average teenager with no worry or care in the world? Would he and Al even stay at the Academy if they had no reason to need to be here? Ed liked to think that he might but he didn't know for sure. The question he was pondering over was too difficult to think about.

Edward let out a loud sigh, closed his eyes again, and tried to picture his mother becoming healthy once more.

* * *

**(1) story takes place in 2009**

**Aw, poor Ed. :'(**

**Next chapter, school starts! So get ready for tests, schedule mishaps, encounters with new students and maybe a super hot new teacher that may just stir up so jealousy. Anything can happen.**

**Thanks for reading and here's the link to the website so you can vote for me: fmagoldworthaward .wordpress. com/best-au/ (take out the spaces) And once you're there, just enter you e-mail into the little white bar on the right side of the page and it should tell you when you can vote. :) **

***REMEMBER TO VOTE TOMORROW***

**Hope you all have a happy Easter! (if you celebrate it)**

**-FSK**


	11. First Day

**Hello everyone. Yay for writing a lot lately! :D**

**So, thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, and helps me with this story, you are all super awesome. :) Oh, and thanks a lot for everyone who voted for my story for Best AU. It got second but I don't really mind because it at least means people love it. :)**

**This chapter will start off the first day of school! Woo-hoo! But there really isn't that much schooling envolved in this chap, more in the next chapter.**

**But, without anymore rambles, here's the next chapter!**

* * *

"So, what do you think?"

Winry twirled in front of her computer and listened with happiness at her parents positive comments. She had finally managed to get her Skype working and now her parents were watching her in her new school uniform on her first day of school. Winry was happy that even though they were on different continents, they had still managed to do this. Her parents had always been there on her first day of the new school year, -to help remind her everything would be fine, to wish her luck- and they still were in a way.

"You look beautiful darling," Sara said with a smile.

"A little too beautiful if you ask me," Urey said, looking suddenly stern. "Don't those skirts come in any longer sizes? Maybe one that could go to your ankles?" (1)

"Dad," Winry growled, folding her arms over her chest. "Quit freaking out. I've worn skirts shorter than this before."

"Yeah, I know," he said grumpily.

"Well, I hope you have a good day, honey," Sara said, blue eyes shinning a little with tears. "I'm just sorry we could be there."

"It's alright," Winry said, trying her best not to get over emotional. She didn't want to make it obvious she was crying.

There was a knock at the door and Sheska popped her head in.

"Um, we should be getting down to the cafeteria, Win," Sheska said, looking a little apologetic. "We need to be at the ceremony in about a half an hour; we'll need something to eat."

Sheska had gone across the hall to Rebecca and Riza's room so that Winry could be alone with her parents. Winry was touched by this offer and greatly accepted.

"Come on, Win," Rebecca yelled as she shoved past Sheska and moved into the room.

"Oh, honey, are those your little friends?" Sara asked, looking suddenly very eager.

Without further ado, Rebecca ran forwards and nearly pushed Winry out of the viewing range of the screen.

"Hi Mrs. Rockbell, Mr. Rockbell. I'm Rebecca. Nice to meet you," Rebecca said loudly with a large smile.

She then reached out and pulled Riza and Sheska into their view.

"And this is Riza and Sheska."

Winry could see on her parent's face that they were not expecting someone as loud and bold as Rebecca. But both of them smiled once they got over the initial shock, probably both glad to see proof that Winry had indeed made friends. They had already been introduced to Riza when Winry was first dropped off at the Academy but they said hello to everyone.

"Hello everyone," Sara said with a smile.

"Uh, which one of you is Win's roommate?" Urey asked.

"Um, I am," Sheska said quietly.

"Hey, guys?"

The four girls turned and saw Roy's head sticking into the room. He was fully dressed in his uniform and Winry had to admit he looked rather handsome in it.

"If you guys want anything to eat, you better get your butts down to the cafeteria. Maes is holding us a table but who knows how long that could last," Roy said.

"Err, right," Winry said with a nod before turning back to the screen. "I'll call you later, alright?"

"Of course. We don't want you to be late for your first day of school," Sara said.

"Bye, Win," Urey said with a wave.

"Bye," Winry said with a wide smile before she closed out the window and turned off her computer.

"Got your bag?" Sheska asked.

"Oh! No, thanks for reminding me," Winry said as she rushed back into the room and picked up her blue school bag before running back to her friends.

* * *

"Ugh, where are they?" Maes growled as he stared over the heads of the students as they walked around the East dorm cafeteria. With everyone in the full uniform, it was hard to tell where his friends were; everyone looked alike.

"Dey'll 'ee 'ere," Jean chocked out through a mouth filled with pancakes; there was syrup running down his chin. "'Top 'orryin'."

Maes stared at his friend for a moment as he tried to shove a strip of bacon into his already overcrowded mouth.

"I can't understand why you're single," Maes sighed sarcastically.

Jean continued to gorge himself, not really caring about anything at the moment that didn't involve his breakfast.

"Hey."

Maes turned and saw Ed pulling a seat out from the table before he sat down in it. He carried a stack of books in one arm and was balancing a large cup of coffee on an overfilled breakfast plate. He took gave Jean an exasperated and somewhat tired look but didn't comment.

"Ready for another year?" Maes asked with a grin as Edward downed at least half of the cup of black coffee. Maes wrinkled his nose slightly at the sight of it. "I don't know how you can drink that stuff straight up."

"I hate milk," Edward muttered, exhaling a little heat that came from the steaming coffee. "We have to get up to north campus first, right?"

"Yup. I don't know where those idiots are," Maes muttered as he glanced over his shoulder. "If they show up late, I'm going to have to hear them whining all during the assembly."

"Maybe they're eating in," Ed suggested. "Al is. That kid overslept. _Again_. He just said he'd eat something around the room and then meet us at the assembly."

"Well they promised us they'd be here," Maes grumbled as he stared at his orange juice.

"Hey! Maes! Where are you?"

Maes stood up and located Roy and the girls within a second.

"Over here!"

The five teens slowly maneuvered through the crowds, caring trays of food as they walked. Finally, they arrived at their destination and gratefully sat down.

"Hey, where are the others?" Rebecca asked as she drizzled an obscene amount of syrup over her pancakes. "I expected Gracia to be lounging in your lap right about now."

"She came down here early with me," Maes said. "We both got here at about seven and then she had to leave because she left all her things back in her room."

"And why are you still here?" Sheska asked. "I expected you to be joined at the hip today."

Maes's clam expression crumpled into miserable one so fast it was almost comical.

"It's her roommate! She hates me!" Maes wailed, alerting some of the surrounding students to stare.

"Maybe she wouldn't hate you so much if you didn't keep trying to nail Gracia everyday," Ed sighed.

"What? I would never do anything to my dear flower of a girlfriend!"

"But still, she's probably more annoyed at you than anything," Riza said, sipping her tea. "Maybe if you backed off a bit, she wouldn't be as annoyed."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the group left the cafeteria and walked towards the large sports stadium for the annual assembly to start off the new school year. While Sheska explained to Winry the dreadfully boring assembly, their group of friends grew.

Al had caught up with them almost as soon as they exited the cafeteria, along with Russell and Fletcher. And when they passed by Central dorm, Gracia met up with them, much to Maes's pleasure.

Once they arrived at the stadium, which was located by South dorm, they walked inside and made there was up the bleachers. Winry had never been inside the stadium before and now saw that is was humungous. There were two sets of enormous bleachers on either side of the stadium. In the center of the stadium was a large oval of grass and at opposite sides of the field were football goal posts, pushed slightly to the side were some soccer nets. Wrapping around the field was a large track that had several lanes painted on it. It was rather impressive.

The only thing that seemed out of place was the large white stage that stood in the center of the field. On it were several chairs, most of them occupied by people Winry had to assumed were on the school board or something important, and a small podium to speak. Banners with the Academy's school colors decorated the stadium, making it look festive.

The group found seats in an empty spot near the top of the stadium and slumped around in their spots, looking very unserious. Winry could see some Patrol people wandering around the stands, admonishing students for having their phones out and for being too rowdy, and could only imagine it would be moments before one of them came over to them and told them off for doing _something_ wrong.

"Ugh, this is so boring!" Jean cried, throwing his head back and yelling at the sky.

Many students turned and looked at them. A few turned away when they saw who it was but a few, perhaps new students, looked a little worried and moved away from them.

"Go! Run away!" Jean yelled at a group of younger students, who immediately got up and ran away, screaming.

"What's your problem?" Winry asked, swatting him on the head, which earned a hearty laugh from most of the group.

"I hate this dumb ceremony," Jean grumbled, massaging his head. "And I hate starting school again. And waking up early too. All of this pisses me off. And of course, I could feel better with a little cigarette but no! I swear, these teachers were taught to smell out smoke or something."

Winry was completely surprised by Jean's attitude today. She had never seen him this worked up before and usually, the relaxed teen wore a lazy smile, not this deep frown.

"Oh quit whining," Al sighed. "You shouldn't be smoking all day anyhow. It's good for you to have to take a break."

"No it's not!" Jean screamed.

"I'll buy you some nicotine patches for your birthday, how about that?" Al said with a smile.

Before Jean could get his chance to retort, a commotion by the steps took the groups attention to another place.

"What's going on down there?" Ed asked, looking up from the pages of the book he had been reading.

"Who knows, maybe a fight?" Russell suggested.

"Someone would have to be pretty stupid to pick a fight with all the school's administration down there," Rebecca said.

"Wait," Maes said, standing up. "Look."

The others stood up and squinted their eyes to where Maes was pointing his finger. It took them all a moment to see what everyone was staring at, but eventually, crowds parted and they were all able to see. Walking up the steps, giving off such a regal air that it reached the group at the top of the stairs, were the three foreign exchanges students.

"Look at them," Gracia said softly. "They look so… _perfect_."

Winry watched in slight awe as the three slowly ascending the stairs with their head held high. The boy stood farther away from the group but the small girl was clearly visible to her. She had to admit that the small girl looked so precious in the tiny uniform. The older girl led the group, looking more serious than anyone Winry had seen in a long time. She looked breathtakingly beautiful in her uniform and made whatever confidence Winry had had this morning when her parents were complimenting her disappear completely. The trio took their seats near the very top but were still several yards away from Winry and her friends. Winry noticed that the small girl seemed to sit several feet away from the two, which seemed a little strange. Almost all the students were staring up at them in awe and interest. The boy, Winry could see, seemed to enjoy it greatly, as did the little girl, but the older girl seemed to have her concentration somewhere else entirely.

Before Winry could dwell on the foreigners anymore, the loud crackle of the ancient speaker system broke up her thoughts and brought her attention to the stage.

"Good morning, students and faculty," Headmaster Grumman spoke cheerfully into the microphone. "And welcome back to Amestris Academy for another year of learning."

There was polite clapping from the audience and faculty while Grumman paused.

"Now, I'd like to start off the school year by welcoming all of our new students to our lovely school." Another round of polite applause in which everyone around Winry slapped, poked, or hugged her for being a new student. "And of course, I'd like to welcome back all of our returning students, and hope that they have a better year that they had before." This round of applause was a bit more intense and lasted longer than any before.

"Now, before we get too wrapped up with the excitement of the first day of term, I'd like to remind everyone of the school rules, which you can find a copy of in the common room of each dormitory."

Winry leaned over to Jean whispered, "This list is where you must get your ideas for things to do when you're bored, huh?"

Jean grinned widely at this before he whispered back, "You could say we glance at the list when we need some inspiring."

"It is a reminder that the out-of-bounds areas include the non-roped off areas of the lake, the forest after sunset, and anywhere past the school grounds unless given permission otherwise. Curfews for different years are as follows: Seniors: Eleven o'clock; Juniors: Half-past ten o'clock; Sophomores: Ten o'clock; Freshman and anyone below 9th grade: Half-past nine o'clock. Penalties will be given to any student caught after their curfew has expired."

"Love how he say's 'to any student who's _caught_'," Roy muttered to Maes. "He's totally trying to get people to be more daring and sneak away from lame Patrol people and not surrender to them like the wimps."

"You're logic is astounding," Riza sighed with a shake of her head.

"Curfew also is in effect for what goes on in the dormitories as well," Grumman said sternly. "As a word of warning to our newer students, every night, a trusted student on your floor will inspect your room to make sure that you are not only inside after curfew but to make sure you have no one of the opposite sex in your room."

A chorus of immature giggles and whispers erupted momentarily after this. Winry had been wondering why they allowed boys and girls to be in the same dormitory and on the same _floor_. She wondered who their person to do room checks was.

"Score!" Jean cried in a whisper. "Riza, Maes, aren't you doing room checks this year?"

"And what's the importance of it to you?" Rebecca scoffed. "Because you're getting _so_ much action after hours."

Jean glared at her while she ignored it.

"We are doing some, Jean," Maes said. "But not _all _of them. There will be a few others doing them too."

"Weren't you asked to do them, Ed?" Sheska asked the reading teen.

"Yeah but I said that I didn't want to. It's a waste of time," Edward grumbled, never looking up from his book.

"And of course, there will be no illegal substances on grounds of the school at any time," Grumman said in an unnaturally stern voice as his eyes scanned the crowds. "Anyone caught with an illegal substance will have their case reviewed by the board and a group of their peers and may result in the students expulsion if it's a repeated offence."

Winry could see a few of her friends shift uneasily in their seats. She was pretty sure none of them had ever been caught, something that probably would have been said on the way to the island or something, but they all seemed to know it was probably only a matter of time. Luck only got you so far.

"Now, I would like to speak of how this school was made almost seventy years ago."

There was a chorus of groans and moans from the friends around Winry and a number of students sitting in other areas of the stands. It appeared no one liked to hear this apparent customary speech on how the Academy was made… and about fifteen minutes later, Winry knew why as well. The speech was horribly boring.

Finally, they were all dismissed to go to classes. Once they had left the stands and the stadium, the group slip up to go to their respective classes: Winry, Riza, Gracia, Roy, Maes, and Ed to North Campus for Honors English III; the rest went back to East Campus for their own respective math classes. They had ten minutes to get to class.

"Ugh, this sucks," Winry sighed as the group jogged up the slight incline by Central Campus. "And after this I'm going to have to run all the way back to South for my next class."

"Well at least you'll get a great work out every day," Roy said. "I'm so happy I have a free period next."

"Lucky bastard," Winry muttered, causing Roy to laugh.

"Come on guys, quit whining," Ed said as he moved quickly next to the group, not seeming out of breath at all. "We've got five more minutes to get there. And Mr. Kerrick will probably give us detention if we're more than a second late."

"Oh great, when will that old geezer just keel over?" Maes growled.

"Maes!" Gracia cried. "Don't say such awful things. What if he did die?"

"Well… come on, Gracia! You hate him too."

"Yeah, Gracia. I'm usually one to stop the teacher bashing around here but really, Kerrick is a sexist, egotistical pig who's stuck in his ways," Riza said bluntly. "It would make my year if he left."

"Well I guess you've got a point," Gracia sighed.

The group managed to get to North Campus with two minutes to spare. They walked over to the building on the right of North Campus and walked inside. The class building had four rooms devoted to the requited high school level English classes. A small jammed hallway ran down the middle of the building. English one and two were at the back end while English three and four were at the front. The group walked into the room at the left along with a few other Juniors and thankfully found a cluster of empty seats at the end of the room.

"Wonder where Kerrick is?" Roy asked, looking around the crowded room of Juniors for the hook-nosed, balding and liver-spotted old man. "He's usually at the door timing all the students arrival times."

"Maybe he had to go get some more of that awful stuff he drinks," Riza suggested with a sigh.

"Or maybe he left," Maes said hopefully to Roy, causing the two dark-haired boys to cross their fingers tightly and grin at each other.

"God I hope so," Roy sighed, closing his eyes. "I don't think I could stand another year with that ass."

"How long have you had him?" Winry asked as she organized her notebooks, binders, and pencils.

"Two years!" Ed growled, his gold eyes sharpen as he stared at the pages of his book.

"But, it thought he only taught English III," Winry said, confused.

"No, he _used_ to only teacher English I," Roy growled. "And then last year he was like 'oh hey, I loved torturing this group of kids the most in my ninety years of teaching, I think I'll change it up and teach English II!'."

"And then last year he said because the other English III teacher had to leave for Maternity leave, he would be taking over next year," Riza said.

"I swear, I almost cried when I heard that," Roy said quietly.

"What do you mean 'almost'?" Ed scoffed. "You were totally balling when we left class."

"Shut up, Elric," Roy growled.

The loud school wide bell rung loudly, effectively shutting everyone up for a moment in the classroom. All the students returned to their seats and talked quietly while they waited for their awful English teacher to arrive through the door, swearing and yelling about small children getting in his way while waving his cane in one hand and holding a mug of very strong-smelling tea in the other. But a minute passed, and then another, making everyone wonder what was going on. If Mr. Kerrick was ever late, it was by no more than thirty seconds and he was never late on the first day of a new semester. _Ever_.

"What's going on?" Gracia whispered to Winry, who shrugged.

"Maybe his walking got worse over the summer and he takes even longer to get here," a girl across the room whispered to her friend.

"Maybe the old fart finally kicked it," sighed a boy near the front of the class.

"Yeah, and now he's in Hell, screaming at Hitler for trying to kill him in WWI," said a boy near him with a large smile on his face, earning a high five from a friend.

"Ugh, it's was WWII, you moron," sighed a girl who didn't look very pleased to be sitting near the boy.

"Oh who cares?"

Suddenly, the door opened and everyone went quiet. If Mr. Kerrick had heard a single word of it, they would all be spending an hour after school with him for a week at the least. It appeared as if everyone was collectively holding their breath as they waited for the sound of Mr. Kerrick's cane to hit the wood floors before his own shuffling. But they never heard any of it. Instead, they heard a younger male voice as he spoke quietly to an older woman's voice that they all recognized as Mrs. Colona, the head of the English department.

Mrs. Colona stepped forward, dressed in her usual crisp grey pant-suit with her chestnut colored hair pulled back in a lose bun. She looked to be in late forties and there was a hard air that came with her. But she smiled warmly at the class after a moment of hushed silence, removing some of the harsh edge that seemed to come with her.

"Hello everyone," she said brightly.

"Hello Mrs. Colona," muttered back a few students.

"Now, I have some news for you. Unfortunately, over the summer Mr. Kerrick fell and fractured his hip."

She watched, not very surprised, as a few hopeful smiles came onto the faces of a few students. The woman could even see a few students in the back cross their fingers.

"He's alright but unfortunately, he has decided to retire-"

The loud chorus of cheers and shouts of happiness cut her off. Mrs. Colona let out an exasperated sigh and didn't look the least bit surprised. In fact, many of the teaching staff reacted the exact same way when they heard the news.

"But as I was saying," she said loudly, stopping the miniature celebration before her, "since he has retired, you'll be getting a new teacher. Class, please welcome Mr. Huston."

Before anyone in the class could ever begin worrying about what kind of teacher they'd get, Mr. Huston walked forwards…

… and he was nothing like they expected.

"Hello everyone," he said warmly.

His dark hair was long and cut stylishly like a few kids had it. He was tall and a little gangly but he was defiantly infinitely times more attractive than Mr. Kerrick ever was. Looking at his clean-shaving face, many of the students thought of how if he put on a school uniform, no one would think twice about him being too old to go to school.

"Damn," a girl whispered to her giggling friend near the back.

"As Mrs. Colona explained, I'll be your knew English teacher for the year."

Winry's eyes widened a little at his handsome face, Gracia smiled demurely before looking innocently at Maes, who instantly seemed to understand and became obviously jealous and protective. Even Riza let out a small low whistle of appreciation when he bent down to grab something out of his brief case, revealing a glimpse of his wonderful ass to most of the class, which caused a crease to form in-between Roy's eyebrows.

Yes, this year was going to be different.

* * *

**Uh-huh, hot teacher alert! Been there, done that, and it's AWESOME. I love my hot teacher... *drewl* _Why'd you have to leave?_ Okay, done. :P**

**But yeah, next chapter will show some classes and shit but no one ever does anything on the first day so there will not be that much learning envolved.**

**So, please review and I'm sure I will have the next chapter up really soon... mainly because I have 90% of it done already.**

**BYE!**

**-FSK**


	12. Daily Grind

**Hey everyone one! So... I'm kinda guessing the world isn't going to end today. But if you didn't hear, the world was origanly supposed to end at like, five today but then it was like 'Oh, it'll end at six o'clock in whatever time zone you're in'. ... I couldn't even make up this stupidity. And you know what? You should all be glad that we didn't all die because then you'd never know what the hell happens in my story and in others I have planned but haven't put up yet.**

**And today I went to a friend's 16th birthday party today and I have just got to say that Whirly Ball is the best damn sport of the face of the earth. It's lacrosse... in BUMPER CARS. Yeah, bumper cars. Can you believe that? I totally owned at it.**

**Anywho... thanks for the reviews from last chapter and thank you, Dani, for editing this chapter. :) You're the best!**

* * *

None of the students in the class had ever had such a great start to a new year in a while. Mr. Huston spoke of himself, -like how he had two dogs and a parakeet, loved Thai food along with every kind of fast food, loved playing video games and football, and how he went to Amestris Academy for his high school years and even revealed some horror stories from his time spent with Mr. Kerrick- and then went around the room asking questions to each student to better know each other.

They played other odd games like hang man and heads-up seven-up and played some music on the radio Mr. Huston had brought along with him. Everyone was laughing and joking around and enjoying Mr. Huston's stories, barely even realizing that he was a teacher and they were in class.

"Ah, Jean and Rebecca are going to be pissed when they hear about this," Roy said with a laugh. "While they were struggling in Meehan's class, we got to do absolutely nothing!"

But after nearly fifty minutes of this, the loud bell rung across the school grounds, signifying the end of first period.

"Well class, I'll be seeing you again, bright and early tomorrow," Mr. Huston said with a smile as everyone filed out of the class.

"Man that was awesome," Roy commented as they walked out of the building. "This year is gonna be freaking sweet."

"You know, he probably has to start teaching at some point," Riza commented, effectively bursting Roy's bubble.

"Geez, why do you have to wreck my happiness?"

"Someone has to," she said with a smile. "But I have to get to Central for Crafts and get a good seat or else Rebecca will have a fit."

"Have fun with that," Ed sighed before he turned and began walking towards West Campus.

"Aw, crap," Winry sighed, staring at her watch. "I really got to run and get all the way down to South."

"Good luck," Maes said. "We'll see you in Econ."

"Bye!" Winry called over her shoulder as she began to jog.

"Oh! Come on, Gracia, we better hurry!" Maes cried in excitement. "I wanna get good seats!"

"But Maes!" Gracia cried as Maes began to tug her along. "We have ten minutes to walk to the other side of North. Calm down!"

Roy watched in slight amusement as his best friend tugged his girlfriend along to their class about parenting. Sometimes he wondered if Maes had all the proper screws in the right places.

"Not my problem," Roy sighed before he began slowly walking towards his dorm. "Hmm… I bet I can get a nice nap in before Econ. I love free periods."

* * *

"Dammit," Winry groaned as she tripped over a rock in the grass.

She has decided to cut through the grass to get to South fastest but unfortunately, there seemed to be an obscene amount of rocks in the grass. By the time she reached the correct room, her ankles and feet were sore and her knees had grass stains on them.

"Hey, Winry," someone called behind her.

She turned and saw Jean walking towards her.

"Oh, hi, Jean."

"I didn't know you were in this class," Jean said with a smile. "Wouldn't have pegged you to be in Metal Shop. More like Foods class or something."

"Well I'm in there too, you know," Winry said. "Don't be so quick to judge someone by the way they look."

"Ugh, I know," he said with a roll of his blue eyes.

"I took Wood shop when I Freshman year and then another Metal class last year at my old school."

"Really? I took Wood I Freshman year and Wood II last year," he said as they stepped into the class.

Most of the large class room was dominated by large, slightly old machinery but in the front left corner were a few wooden tables with some chairs. A chalkboard sat in front of the tables and in between the chalkboard and the tables was a man of about forty.

"Good morning everyone. Take a seat," he said gesturing to the tables.

"Mind if I sit by you?" Winry asked Jean with a smile.

"No!" he said with a wide grin. "Much rather have you sitting by my than some guy with bad B.O."

* * *

Riza sat down at the small, square table in one of the two art rooms as she waited for Rebecca and Sheska to show up from their classes. A few students had already entered the room and were sitting down. Miss Hudak, one of the two art teachers, stood against her desk in the middle of the room. She was young, probably late twenties and dressed in as many offensively bright colors as Rebecca tended to when she didn't have to wear her school uniform.

Riza watched as a small wisp of a girl walked into the room, was greeted by Miss Hudak, and then sat down at a small table near the window. She recognized the girl instantly as one of the foreign exchange students. Riza contemplated whether she should ask the girl over to her table, since the table could hold four people and her grandfather had asked to be helpful to the girl. But before she could really think about the idea, a loud shriek pierced her ears and within seconds, Rebecca was running through the art room towards Riza.

"Oh, Riza! It was terrible! So, so terrible!" Rebecca cried while Sheska quietly sat down across from Riza. "Mr. Meehan is such an _ass!"_

"Excuse me, Rebecca," Miss Hudak said as she glided up behind her, looking unnaturally stern. "I would like to ask you to please refrain from calling teachers such names."

"Sorry, Miss Hudak but he is!" Rebecca yelled at the teacher.

"Why is he an ass?" Riza asked tiredly, not quite ready for Rebecca's loudness this early in the morning.

"Because he wouldn't let me sit near Al _or _Russell!" she exclaimed before she collapsed in the chair next to Riza. "I mean, how's a girl supposed to cheat when he puts me next to a guy who's _barely _smarter than me? Might as well do the work on my own!"

"That's an idea," Riza sighed, causing Sheska to grin slightly.

"Oh, oh!" Rebecca said, jumping slightly from her seat. "And there were two of those Asians in that class as well. And of course, Meehan wouldn't put me by them either."

"Rebecca," Riza growled quietly. "One of '_those Asian's'_ are right over there. _Shut up_."

Sheska and Rebecca turned to see the small girl. She appeared to be whispering into her beaded bag. Maybe she had some weird state-of-the art piece of technology that used voice.

"Oh! And he actually started teaching today! Who the hell starts teaching on the first day of school? It's just unnatural!"

* * *

"Now class, I'm going to pass out the syllabus and I want you all to read it over quietly," said Mrs. Hanlon, the old anatomy teacher.

"God, this is boring," Edward grumbled as he passed back the pile of gold-color papers to Russell and Fletcher, who sat behind him and Al.

"At least the first day is easy," Russell sighed as his blue eyes scanned the sheet tiredly. "It's just reading syllabus after syllabus all day long."

"Yeah and it's a waste of my time," Edward growled. "It's all the same rules in every class: no swearing, no graffiti-ing school property, no disrespecting teachers. All that crap."

"Well the first day gives everyone time for their brains to reboot again," Fletcher said quietly.

"Yeah well, my brains been ready for a while now," Ed groaned.

"Well we all can't be as perfect as you, Ed," Al said with a smile, which caused Ed to scowl.

"No talking!" Mrs. Hanlon cried, glaring around the room.

The four blonds gave each other exasperated looks before they all returned to their sheets of paper.

* * *

"Ah!" Edward sighed as he gave his arms a good stretch over his head. "I always hate that class. It's always so stuffy."

Second period had ended and now Ed, Al, and Russell were making their way to South Campus for their next class. The youngest of the blonds had left to go to his Geometry class in East Campus. Next period, Ed had Honors Economy and was not looking forward to spending the year in Mr. Urig's presence. Last year, Edward had had a detention under Mr. Urig's supervision and it did not go very well. But no matter how much Ed yelled and complained to school board members of the teacher's supposed incompetence, he would not be able to get rid of the damn, ignorant teacher.

Once the three reached the building, Ed bid goodbye to his brother and their friend near the U.S history room and walked across the hall to his Economy class. A few of his friends were already sitting near the windows. As he passed by Mr. Urig's desk, he glared slightly at the teacher, who didn't seem to be too fazed by it.

"Hey," Ed sighed as he sat down in the back row near the window. "How's your morning been going?"

Jean, Roy, and Winry were just sitting around, looking bored.

"Great," Roy said with a smile. "I just had a nice nap and ate some ramen. You?"

"Lucky asshole," Ed muttered. "I just had to go sit Hanlon's stuffy-ass room while she droned on and on about the dumb things she put on her syllabus."

"Well you picked the damn elective knowing full well what you were getting into," Jean said. "You should pick something awesomer than _anatomy_ as an elective."

"Like what? Metal?" Ed scoffed before he rolled his eyes. "No thanks but I like my fingers and I don't want to spend nearly an hour of my day with a bunch of sweaty meat heads."

"Hey, there are some cuties in the class this year!" Jean cried indignantly, winking at Winry, who blushed slightly.

"Like who? Carrie Jones?" Ed asked with a smirk. "I wasn't aware that you found such butch woman attractive, Jean."

"No!" Jean growled. "But you gotta admit that a chick who can bench-press one-fifty is pretty impressive. Anyhow, no. It's not Scary Carrie. It's-"

"Lucy Smith?" Roy guessed with a snap of his fingers. "She's such a slut she probably joined that class as a way to get easy access to boys."

"No! It's not Slutty Smith either!"

"Then who?"

"Winry," Jean said, pointing his thumb at her while the other two looked at her in mild shock.

"Really?" Roy asked.

"She knows like, freaking everything about every machine in that place," Jean said with wide eyes and a nod. "I swear, Mr. Jacobs was in love."

"Ew, that's gross, Jean!" Winry cried with a cringe. "He's like, forty."

"Yeah and he's a hick too so his parent's wouldn't be surprised if he brought a seventeen year old home."

"Dude, too far," Roy said.

"Whatever," Jean said with a shrug.

"Hey," Riza sighed as she glided through the isles of tables and sat down next to Winry.

"Hey," Roy responded. "How was crafts?"

"Ugh, I just want to shoot her sometimes!" Riza cried, slamming her pencil case down on the table. "She just can't shut her mouth sometimes!"

"What'd she do?" Ed asked, sounding bored.

"She just-!"

"Hey guys!" Maes cried as he pulled Gracia along by the hand behind him. "What's got you looking so pissy, Riza?"

"Rebecca," Roy, Jean, and Winry said in unison.

"She was going to start a story before you walked in, you know," Winry said.

"Well before you start that, I have one question," Maes said as he and Gracia took their seats a table over from Riza and Winry.

"Yeah?" Riza asked.

"Why are _you_ in here, Jean?" Maes asked. "Aren't you supposed to be in Chem right now with Mr. Baker?"

"Oh shit," Jean said, glancing at the clock. "I have two minutes to make it."

"Good luck!"

"Tell me that story later, okay Riza?" He said as he walked backwards down the isle.

"Yeah, just go! I don't know how forgiving Mr. Baker will be on the first day!"

They watched out the window as Jean sprinted towards West Campus for a few moments before they turned their attention back to the class.

"That kid sure is a natural blond," Roy said with a sigh. "But back to the story. What happened?"

"Ugh! First she kept trying me to help her with her Algebra work while Miss Hudak was trying to explain something. And then she was whining about how there was absolutely nothing being served for lunch today that she wanted and she kept asking if we could sneak out and go to Applebee's. Then she started playing with the paint and was finger-painting on her bag and she spilled some one mine!"

Riza lifted up her brown bag and there was indeed a large splotch of purple paint in the corner.

"That girl is nuts," she finished with a shake of her head. "At least I get a bit of a break from her during the day…"

The loud bell rung, signifying that third period had begun. In the back of their heads, they all silently wondered if Jean had managed to his class on time.

* * *

"Urig is the biggest, most annoying, egomaniac I have ever seen!" Edward growled as him and his friends exited the building. "I can't believe him!"

"Calm down, Ed," Maes sighed as he rubbed his temple. "We got it. You hate him. He hates you. You don't have to complain anymore."

"Hey guys," Gracia spoke up before anything could escalate any further. "Don't you guys have to be back up at North?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," Roy said with a yawn. "I'm not in the mood for running."

"My god, you are so lazy," Riza sighed. "Quit whining and get your ass in gear."

"Fine, fine, Hawkeye," Roy growled as he picked up the pace.

"Well, I'll be seeing you guys at lunch," Gracia said before she placed a chaste kiss on Maes's cheek. "Where should we meet up?"

"Let's just eat in," Ed said. "I'm not in the mood to deal with the idiotic masses."

"But you never are," Roy said, rolling his dark eyes.

"But I think it'd be a good idea to eat in too," Riza said. "All the cafes are probably all filled with underclassman anyhow."

"Sounds good to me," Maes said. "I'll text the others."

"Well, we'll see you guys later," Winry said with a wave as her and Gracia moved away from the group.

"What do you two have now?" Riza asked.

"Free period," they both said with a grin.

"Have fun," Roy said grumpily.

"We will."

Just as the group of Juniors began to move, a voice stopped them. They turned and saw Al rushing towards them, bringing a grin to Ed's face.

"Hurry up slow poke!" Ed called.

"Sorry!" Al cried as he caught up with them. "I had to ask Mrs. Whited something."

"Whatever," Ed sighed as he ruffled Al's sandy locks.

The group then disembarked for North Campus but what they didn't know was that someone was watching them.

* * *

"What's with the hold up?" Roy wondered as he saw the grouping around the North Campus building.

A large group of kids were milling around the front door of building C, all looking annoyed. It was apparent after moving a bit closer that the door was closed and probably locked tightly.

"Oh, what the hell?" Ed groaned. "Are we locked out or something?"

"I guess," Riza sighed before she let her heavy school bag fall to the ground. "Just what I wanted. To have to stand out in this heat for longer than I need to."

Roy set his things next to the blond before he collapsed on the ground and closed his eyes. He then proceeded to unbutton his blazer by feel.

"You are such a slug," Riza sighed before she sat down next to him.

Riza received no response in return. Soft snores began to come from in-between his lips. She rolled her eyes at this and suppressed a smile.

"Unbelievable."

"Might as well sit down, Ed," Al mumbled before he too sat down on the grass.

"Ugh, no way," Ed growled before he marched forward and pushed through the crowds. "Outta my way!"

Everyone watched at the blond pushed moodily through the kids until he reached the door. Ed stood there for a moment, studying the door, before he began fiddling with the hinges of the door.

"Ed! What are you doing?" Al called as he moved forwards.

"What does it look like? I'm taking the pins out of the door so we can get inside already. I'm sick of this heat," Ed mumbled as he tinkered with the metal.

"Ed, you really shouldn't destroy school property," Al said, trying his best to get the point across to his stubborn older brother.

"I'm not taking it apart, Al. You can put it back later," he muttered.

"Ed!"

"What?"

"There's Mr. Jones!" Al hissed. "He'll see you and then you're going to be in real trouble. Do you really want to waste your time in detention?"

At the word detention, Ed stopped his movements at once before letting out a heavy sigh. He set down the one pin he had managed to get out and stood up.

"Fine, fine," he muttered, getting out of the doors way.

Ed moved just in time too because Mr. Jones, the old computer teacher, came strutting up to the group with a ring of keys in hand. It took a moment for everyone to notice that there were two students walking behind him. It was two of the older exchange students.

"And this is the building were your next class will be," he said to the two, who nodded, before he addressed the others. "Sorry everyone. Had to go run down and get the keys."

Mr. Jones moved to the door and began to unlock the door. The lock clicked and he pulled open the door. But once the door was open, it kept moving and not in the direction it was supposed to. It was falling down to the ground and just over the spot were three people stood.

"Watch out!" someone yelled as the door fell.

In a split second, the girl pushed the boy as hard as she could out of harms way and then turned to stop the door from falling.

Everyone watched in awe as the small girl stopped the heavy door from falling in only a second or two.

"Whoa… she's a ninja, man," someone whispered to a friend.

Mr. Jones rushed up and helped to move the door against the wall before he turned to the group, looking like the perfect definition of pissed-off. He opened his mouth to speak but before a word could come out, someone beat him to the punch.

"Who did this?"

It was the girl.

"Who dare threaten Master Ling's life?" she growled.

No one spoke, but nearly everyone's finger moved to point towards a certain blond-haired boy, who froze when he saw the deadly glare that was directed at him.

"You will be rather sorry when I'm done with you," she whispered.

* * *

**So just a question? How do you think the teaching staff will react when one student pulls a knife on another student? Just asking.**

**Please review and hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon. But no promises because for whatever reason, when everyone's brain is shutting off in school is when every single freaking teacher gives you some project that you have to devote all off your attention to. I hate the end of the year in high school. I mean, what happened to the days of elementary school when you'd just goof around for the last month? At least I don't have to take finals and get out of school five days early!**

**Bye!**

**-FSK**


	13. New Challenges

**What's up everyone? I'm on summer break! And I didn't have to take finals and got out three days earlier so double YAY!**

**Sorry if this took long but serious, last two weeks of school were horrendous and I had shit to do all the time. But I'm trying to get back to updating now.**

**Okay, bitching time. I completely hate all the changes ffnet did to the site. I hate the new messaging system, I hate the new set up they made up, and it all pisses me off. Yeah, it sucks. Grrr...**

**Thank you for everyone who reviewed last chapter and thank you to my lovely assistant Dani for her editing help. :)**

**So, here ya go. Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

"What the hell?" Ed yelled at the sight of the thin knife being pulled from the pocket of the girl's blazer.

The sight of the shinning, sharp blade sent everyone into differing states of pandemonium. Students screamed. Some stayed; some began pulling their friends away from the scene as fast as they could. Mr. Jones stood frozen as he stared at the scene before him, completely unsure of what he should do in response.

"You are rash and clearly a threat. You must be detained," she spoke crisply, bringing her odd knife higher.

"Fine," Ed said loudly. "I ain't afraid to hit a girl. Let's see what you got you damn ninja!"

"Ed!" Al cried in exasperation. "Please don't fight her! Why can't you learn to ignore situations like this?"

"Shut up, Al!" Ed growled, shifting his stance so that he'd be ready for any attack from the front.

"Go for it Ed!" Roy yelled, causing a bunch of other moronic teenage boys to cheer.

"Don't encourage him!" Riza scolded Roy, slapping him on the head with one of her text books.

"What?" Roy whined as he rubbed the spot Riza had hit on his head. "The little freak has owed me two bucks since last April. If I get to see him getting his ass handed to him by a girl then I think I'll stop bugging him."

Al and Riza rolled their eyes at him before they turned their attention back to the two teens.

Ed threw a quick punch and the girl dodged it gracefully before she dropped and swung a leg out and knocked Ed to the ground. He quickly rolled away before the girl could catch him and sprung to his feet, ready to throw another hit. Ed put on his cocky grin and waited for the girl to make another move.

Her hand holding her knife went out in a flash but before Ed could even deflect it, a large man in a black Campus Patrol uniform appeared and had the girls arms held tightly behind her back. Edward could see as the crowd began to break up that several more uniform-clad figures were making their way towards them.

"Come on," the man grunted as he struggled to keep the girl detained. "Quit squirming, we'll get you no matter where you run to. The Headmaster is eager to see you."

"Let me go!" she yelled.

"Lan Fan."

The girl stopped her struggling almost instantly before letting her head fall in shame. The boy, Ling, had walked forward. He was the one who had called out to the girl. He approached the Patrol officer and placed a hand on one of the man's arms.

"I am sorry she has caused trouble for you today. I will take her the headmaster's office."

"Well, there is a notice that he wanted you there anyhow," said the man, looking a little unsure of what to do.

"Well then we will be off," Ling said with a nod before he grabbed Lan Fan's hands and began pulling her in the general direction of the headmaster's office.

After a moment of confusion, the male officer seemed to snap out of his reverie and turned to Edward.

"Oh, and Mr. Grumman would also like to see you after school."

"What?" Ed asked. "Why do I have to go?"

"You were fighting her and you did spark the fight. He wants to know what happened."

"You wanna know what happened?" Ed asked, irritated. "I was just trying to get inside the building and then Jackie Chan pulled a shank on me! It was self defense."

"Just do as the Headmaster says and be at his office after school," the man said before leaving.

"Great," Ed sighed. "Now I have to waste an hour of my time today."

"Well I told you not to fight her," Al said.

"Whatever," he muttered, stretching his arms above his head. "I just want this damn day to be over already."

"At least we're half-way through the day, buddy," Roy said before slapping Ed on the back.

"Gee, thanks for the reminder."

* * *

Winry sighed gratefully as she felt the blast of icy cold air-conditioning hit her sweaty body as she passed through the front double doors of East Dorm. The class rooms had air-conditioning but half the time the outer doors were thrown open, greatly lowering the effectiveness of the A.C. and greatly raising the temperature in the room. But now, she could relax in the complete and total A.C that was East Dorm for an hour and a half.

"God, these clothes are awful," Winry commented as she at the offensive piece of clothing that was her soaked sweater-vest.

"Well at least we have A.C.," Gracia sighed as the two entered the old elevator; the two usually preferred the stairs but the day had been grueling so far so they chose to be lazy.

"Yeah," she mumbled in return, thinking about how with how high the A.C. seemed to be cranked up today, she might even have to wear actual pajamas to bed tonight instead of a tank-top and shorts.

Once the two girls had reached the third floor, they stopped in Winry's room to drop their bags off and rip off their soaked vests and toss them onto the floor before they looked at their food options.

"Hmm… I really don't have much," Winry realized as she stared at her and Sheska's collection of ramen noodles, easy mac, microwave popcorn, chips, and pizza rolls, which was all appetizing but just not at the moment. "Maybe I should stop down in the cafeteria to grab something more substantial than this."

"Oh! Wait, Jean has off this period, right?" Gracia exclaimed, face brightening.

"Um, I wouldn't know," Winry admitted; honestly, she was more worried on remembering when she had free time.

"Well it doesn't matter anyhow. Those dingbats never lock their room. Come on," Gracia said, grabbing her hand before leading her out of the room.

"Where are we going?"

"Those guys always have the best munchies," Gracia said with an almost adorable twinkle in her eyes.

The two girls raced down to the edge of the hallway and then turned right until they had reached room 320. The door was ajar and inside, sitting on his computer with a steaming hot pocket hanging from his mouth, was Jean. He said something that neither could decipher but took it for a welcome. They allowed Jean to scarf down his large chunk of fake meat before he spoke.

"Need food?"

"Yup," Gracia said.

"Help yourself. God only knows what your freaking boyfriend would do if I even denied you a crumb," Jean said with a roll of his blue eyes before he dug back into his food.

Gracia hadn't been lying when she said the boys had food. They had a freaking mini market! And not only did they have one fully stocked fridge, but two; one the standard, slightly stained white one that came with the room, the other a large and newer looking black one that hummed with the power of a full sized one.

The boys had the necessities, like pizza rolls, hot pockets, mini-microwavable meals, and easy mac, but they even had a considerable amount of actual food, like fruits and a few scattered vegetables along with hot dog and hamburgers, ready to be cooked on Maes's George Forman grill that sat on top of the microwave. Half of one of the fridges was filled with white styrophome containers, leftovers from meals at the cafeteria. Winry poked at a few but didn't trust to eat anything that might have already been slobbered on by one of the boys. The other half of the fridge was filled with different drinks ranging from milk and water to energy drinks and a suspicious liquid in an unmarked bottle.

"You guys sure have a spread," Winry remarked, turning to look at Jean who was now working on a cup of ramen noodles.

"And that's not even the half of it. Look in the cupboard," he said, gesturing to the overstocked cupboard.

"My God, is all you do is eat?" Winry cried as she stared at the hundreds of different chips, crackers, cookies, and canned items that they had.

"Eat, sleep, and go to class," he said. "And during class, we're probably eating or sleeping."

* * *

Winry pushed herself in little semi-circles with her left foot as she sat in Roy's high-backed black computer chair, eating a pretty good microwave meal of spaghetti and meatballs. Gracia and Jean talked occasionally over some music that played from Jean's laptop, but Winry never paid them much attention. Right now, she was focused on what she had seen before the two girls had arrived at their dorm building.

Just before she left, Winry had seen Edward smile, truly smile, and it made her re-think everything about the boy. He seemed grouchy and his mind seemed to always be anywhere besides here but whenever he was with his brother, he seemed to break away from that Ed and turn into a new one. A happier one. One that smiled brighter than the sun which lit up his face in a way Winry had never seen before.

Ed definetly was not everything that he appeared and she had the feeling that there were more sides to Ed than he had shown. She wanted to know who he was but Winry didn't want to rely on her friends to tell her because she had the inkling that they wouldn't do him justice in describing his many-faced personality.

Edward Elric was a mystery, a mystery that held much more unknowns than truths. It was then that Winry Rockbell resolved to find out who the blond-haired boy really, truly was. And she would do it all on her own.

* * *

At noon, fourth period was done and the rest of their friends began spilling back into the cold air of East Dorm, all filled with stories of the trials of the horrid first day back. They all joined the first three in boys room and began chatting loudly and eating. Everyone was there except for a blond-haired boy that was now Winry's elusive target. She wanted to study him, even if that sounded weird, as he relaxed with his friends. Sure, she had seen him hang out with them before, but now that she needed to focus on certain movements and mannerisms, she had to keep a closer eye and make better mental notes.

"Where you going, Win?" Sheska asked as she watched her friend disentangle herself from the group of kids and began walking to the door.

"I just remembered I needed to plug in my cell phone," Winry lied smoothly, holding her phone up, which actually was fully charged. "I'll just be a minute."

With all the stealth she could muster, Winry moved down the hallway, taking note that there were only two other rooms who's occupants were inside; both rooms had their rooms thankfully closed. Which was good because she didn't want anyone to have the chance to rat on her and tell Ed what a complete and utter stalker she was. Because she wasn't a stalker, she was simply making a scientific observation on the peculiar specimen that was Edward Elric.

His door was closed but not all the way. Winry could hear his voice talking, unusually soft; his natural voice was usually rather loud. After a moment of decision and another of apprehension, Winry tip-toed forwards until she was standing next to the door jam of his room door. She did her best to breath as quietly as possible and get herself ready to run at a moments notice. She could only catch a handful of words here and there but she did, she tried to remember them.

"… just worry about you is all," Ed mumbled. "And I don't like it when he's gone for that long… well you can get sick at a moments notice sometimes… yeah well, ambulances sometimes mess up… yes I've timed how long it takes me to get to the hospital… I did it at night! It was fine! No one got-… I know, I know. I should be more careful."

Winry only had to assume he was talking on a phone to someone but she didn't dare try and peak through the crack in the door and risk him seeing her.

"Yeah, Al's fine… yeah, I'm fine too… I'm fine, really… I've got another thirty minutes to put some easy mac in the microwave and eat it. I think I'll make it to class on time… Gym… Yeah, I need a good work out… No, Al's got cooking. Can you believe it? Cooking? … Well yeah, if he learns to cook as good as you can I'll forgive him. But I don't think anyone can cook as good as you can."

Winry could hear the emotion in his voice, the caring and the love, and it took her off guard for a moment.

"Well as long as you're doing fine… Yeah I'll call you later… of course… Alright, I love you too, bye."

Those four simple words 'I love you, too' spun Winry around again. Ed just didn't seem to be the type of guy who would throw out those words. Then again, he didn't know anyone was listening, so maybe he felt comfortable enough. Who knew? But now Winry had to know who those words were going to. Her friends didn't think he had a girlfriend but what if he did?

_It doesn't matter if he has a girlfriend or not,_ Winry thought to herself. _He doesn't like you anyhow so quit your day dreaming._

Winry's thoughts were cut short when she began to here footsteps moving closer to the door and he heart rate accelerated to an unhealthy level. Like a startled forest animal, Winry jumped back as quietly she could and had fled back to the safety of her doorway in the time it took Ed to open his door. As he closed the door behind him, he looked up and saw Winry hanging out of her dorm room, looking rather conspicuous.

"What?" he asked, sounding annoyed, quickly reverting back to the grouchy blond she usually saw.

"Nothin'," Winry said, throwing her cell phone into her room; it would look odd if she left to charge her phone and returned with it in her hand. Winry then took a step out into the hall and leaned against the doorframe, trying to look cool and composed. "You going to the boys room?"

"I guess if that's where the foods at," he muttered, walking down the hall.

When Ed passed by Winry, she fell in step with him and walked slowly down the hall with him.

"So… I heard you got into a fight with one of the exchange kids," Winry piped up for no apparent reason except it was something to cover up the silence that seemed to get worse with every step.

"Yeah. Crazy girl pulled a goddamn knife on me," Ed grumbled, shoving his fists into his pockets, looking annoyed.

"Really?" Winry asked, even though she heard the whole play-by-play from Roy.

"Uh-huh. Hope she gets kicked out of here and the country."

By this time, they had reached their destination and their conversation dropped off completely. Winry stood in the doorway for a moment as she watched Ed jump, hop, and climb over his friends until he had reached the top bunk, pre-made easy mac in one hand and a soda in the other. She watched as he smiled and laughed at a joke but it wasn't the same smile as before and it only made her think more.

* * *

Edward walked with Maes, and Jean to the sports building just off of North Campus after their lunch period was up. They had physical education next and even though Phys. Ed. was usually filled with dumb upperclassmen who just wanted to get a period where they could work out and goof off, Ed usually enjoyed it. As much as he loved to study and read, he also hated sitting around for too long. Often, he had been seen walking around campus while reading, something that seemed to impress people. Maes also had this similar problem and Jean, well, he almost fell into the category of idiots who just wanted to goof around for a period but he wasn't a complete idiot like the others were.

"I can't believe Al's ditching us," Ed said as they moved through the oppressive heat. "And for a freaking cooking class!"

"Hey, if he wants to learn how to cook, leave him be," Maes said. "And he can help to keep unwanted attention from my dear Gracia."

"But dude, I can understand why he'd do it," Jean said. "They guy-girl ratio is so nice. It's like 1-10."

"My point exactly," Maes said, his green eyes turning deadly for a second.

"But Al isn't desperate and horny like you are Jean," Ed said. "I seriously doubt he chose cooking so that he could get a date. He's probably just trying to be responsible and learn how to take care of himself so that he isn't eating microwave meals until he finds a girl."

* * *

"Welcome class, to Basic Foods," said the middle-aged women at the front of the class. "During this semester, you will learn how to cook a medley of different daily meals, side dishes, and deserts. Now, if you'll open the syllabus to page one and listen as I read aloud."

Al stared around the immacatuly clean room and at the nineteen girls and four boys and at the state-of-the-art kitchen appliances behind him. He sat at a table in the very last row of the room, wedged between Winry and Gracia, not listening to anything the teacher was saying.

Al had to admit that he was feeling a little apprehension and even regret at his sudden decision to take the class. He probably should be running laps with Ed in the gym at North, which smelled overpowingly like sweat and all the weird body sprays the guys wore, instead of sitting here, in the clean room that smelled of flour and lemon cleanser. Sure, he did want to learn to cook and not only for himself but also for his mother so that when she wasn't feeling well, we wouldn't all be at the mercy of take-out, which probably wasn't very good for her. Cooking was a skill that would be useful for the rest of your life.

Al's golden-brown eyes glanced around at all the skirt-wearing forms around the room once more before he lowered his eyes back to his syllabus, which was filled with safety instructions on how not to start a kitchen fire. He let out a loud sigh and rubbed his eyes with the heal of his palms before he held his head with his right arm.

"Are you alright?" Winry asked in a whisper, leaning to her left to talk to him.

"Yeah, just riveted by the class is all," Al whispered with a small smile, causing him to smile back.

The fact that cooking was a good skill to learn, one that could help their mother, was what he told his brother so that he would leave him be for choosing such a girly elective. But Al had two reasons for joining, the second of which he couldn't admit to anyone else, let alone his brother, who would ridicule him for it.

Al chose cooking in hopes of finding a girlfriend.

He had heard several times from Jean on how if the elective wasn't 'so damn girly' he would sign up so that he could get the chance to scope out more girls. And yeah, maybe his 1 to 10 ratio was a bit off but Al would take what he could get.

"Now, when we begin cooking, you'll be assigned a certain cooking station. For now, you can pick your groups but if I have any problems, I will change them," the teacher barked. "There will be three groups of six and one of five. Go."

There were a few minutes of pandemonium when girls clustered together and when the few boys tried to wiggle their way into their group of choice. A moment later, Al found himself ushered to a cooking station near the back of class with Gracia, Winry, and Maria Ross, Gracia's roommate. Maria was not taller than Gracia and had dark hair, chopped short with a small mole on the side of her pale face.

"Crap, we need one more," Maria said, looking around for the straggler who would be forced to be in their group.

And just a moment later, the teacher –Ms. Cole- walked up to us with the straggling student trailing behind her.

"Kids, I hope you don't mind, but could she be in your group? She's new and doesn't have many friends yet."

"Of course not, Ms. Cole," Gracia said, smiling sweetly.

"Oh, thank you."

Ms. Cole then turned around and gave the small girl a push towards them.

"Hello," the girl said quietly. "I am Mei Chang, pleased to meet you."

The girl gave a small bow before looking back up at them with large, dark eyes. As they introduced themselves, one by one, her eyes flashed to them and nodded, making a mental note of their names. Finally, it was Al's turn.

"Um hi, I'm Alphonse Elric. You can just call me Al," he said sheepishly.

Al looked back down at the girl and noticed how her face seemed to flush and her eyes looked more like saucers instead of eyes, making Al feel a little uncomfortable.

"Well, thank you," Ms. Cole said with a nod before she turned to address the class. "Turn to page three and you should see a complete list of your supplies. Look through your station to make sure you have everything on the list and tell me if you are missing anything."

As Al did inventory of one of the drawers, which was supposed to hold two spatulas, two serving spoons, two pairs of tongs, and three wooden spoons (which it did) he couldn't help but notice a pair of eyes continually flashing towards him.

_Calm down_, Al told himself_. You're freaking out._

But no matter what he did, he could swear he felt her eyes on him.

* * *

"Now, Mr. Elric, I understand you were caught up in the confrontation with Miss Yao (1) this morning."

"Yeah," Ed sighed, annoyed with the waste of time that was this after school meeting.

The last few classes of his day were alright. In Honors Chemistry, there had been promise of starting learning tomorrow and in Pre-Calculus, they had actually started learning the new chapter, much to most of the classes annoyance but he enjoyed it. He hated wasting time and the first day or two were always such wastes. Now he was sitting on the couch in Mr. Grumman's office after school, wasting even more time.

"Well, Miss Yao has been talked to and I can assure you it will never happen again."

"Whatever," he mumbled, loosening his tie; he hadn't had time to change into his more comfortable clothes.

"You are dismissed, Mr. Elric," Grumman said with a smile.

"Good," Ed said before he pushed himself of the couch and walked out of the office.

He braced himself for the assault of hot air as he pushed open the doors that lead outside but was stopped halfway down the steps by a voice.

"Hey! You!"

And while the person could be talking to many people, Ed had the feeling he was talking to him. Sighing, he turned and saw Ling and the girl, Lan Fan, standing by the doors. He hadn't even noticed them.

"Yeah?" Ed asked, annoyed with the interruption on his way home.

Ling gave Lan Fan a little push and she wobbled forwards. A small pink hue came to her cheeks before her upper body seemed to lose its bones and she bowed deeply.

"I am sorry," she whispered. A minute later, she stood back up.

Ed, taken back slightly by the bow, blinked and shook his head before lifting his hand and waving it away.

"It's fine. No one got hurt. No harm done."

"Yes but someone could have," Ling said, moving forwards. "And that would have been a tragedy."

"Ah well…" Ed muttered, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Like I said no big deal."

"…you fight very well, Edward Elric," Ling said, smiling largely.

"Just call me Ed," he said. "And thanks… I guess. I learned from a family friend."

"Hmm…" Ling nodded. "I have an offer for you, Ed."

"What?" Ed asked, confused.

"How would you like to work for me?"

* * *

**(1) Yao is here last name after all...**

**I hope I'm doing an alright job at portraying the asians... I've never really written them before. My editor approves of the Mei fawning though so...**

**Anywho, I hope you all loved this chapter as much as I did writing it. Next chapter... I'm not quite sure what exactly's gonna happen but I'm sure there will be something interesting. And FWI, Winry is not a complete stalker here, so don't start bashing because this is something I would probably do.**

**Sooooooo... yeah. Happy summer and I hope to update soon enough but it may still take a while what with driving school that I have to finish and my temp job I have. but I will try to update ASAP.**

**Bye! :D**

**-FSK**


	14. Secrets

**Hey, what's up everyone? Yay for updating!**

**But seriously, I have a small job where I have to watch a bunch of five-year-olds and they wear me out. But after this week, I'll be done and then I can update more, so yay!**

**Um, thank you, everyone who took the few seconds to write me a review and big thank you to my editor, awesome Dani, for dealing with my sleepy writing. It can be a mess sometimes. :P**

**So here's the chapter, it's a little filery but there's stuff that's needed to be said.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Edward stared at Ling for a moment, slightly baffled; he had never gotten any job offers from kids his own age before. After spending a minute of trying to think of how to respond to this, he gave up.

"What?" he asked. "What do you mean work for you?"

"Be a body guard for me," Ling said. "Like Lan Fan is. I'd play you. Rather generously too."

"What?" Ed exclaimed.

"Yeah. From what I saw, you stood up to Lan Fan, and she's one tough fighter. You see, back home, I had another body guard and we thought it best not to bring him here since he wouldn't blend in with the students as well as Lan Fan does. But anyways, I've started to miss having two, even if she is magnificent."

"Oh yes, the girl just blends _perfectly _with the rest of us," Ed said, rolling his eyes and his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Pulling a knife on another student doesn't seem off at all."

Lan Fan's eyes sharpened and she took a step forwards.

"You were a clear threat to his life. I was doing my job, you insolent brat," she growled before turning to look at Ling. "Master, I advise you to reconsider this offer. The boy is brash and how can you possibly trust him? You don't even know him. I'm all the guard you need!"

"Lan Fan, I will do what I think is wise for me."

"But-"

"There's nothing to reconsider because I'm not taking the job," Ed huffed. "I don't care how much you paid me, I have plenty of money. Work takes too much of my spare time."

"And what could possibly be more important than helping someone and getting paid generously in return?" Ling asked, grinning his wolfish grin.

"Plenty," Ed said, turning away from the two. "Plenty that I don't have to tell you about."

Edward then walked the rest of the way down the steps and started walking towards East Dorm. Ling and Lan Fan stayed behind, watching him walk away.

"Should I follow him?" Lan Fan asked.

"No need," Ling said, waving her away. "We'll be seeing him again. He can't avoid us forever."

* * *

Ed rushed back to his dorm after the odd meeting, very much wanting to lay down in his air-conditioned room with a good book. He also had to tell Al about his call earlier from their mother. He had been relieved when he heard how healthy and normal she sounded but the sound of her voice only strengthened his resolve to find a cure for her.

He entered his dorm building a few minutes later and saw and heard immediately how crowded the common room was. Ed ran up the stairs of East Dorm two at a time until he reached the third floor, hardly out of breath. It was understatement if he said that the halls were crowded: Kids running and screaming from their room to their friends, loud music pouring out from every other room with noises from televisions from the others. It was horrible. Everyone packed inside to escape the sweltering heat.

_I guess I won't be reading here_, Ed thought as he fought his way through a crowd of much younger kids to get to his room. _I'll just grab a book or two and get to the library._

Edward ran into his room, grabbed a book at random that was sitting on his desk, and ran out, fighting his way through the crowds of kids until he reached the stairwell again. He needed a place to hide and right now he couldn't go onto the awning or the roof, both being hot and one being too obvious.

_Where can I go?_

"Library, duh," Ed muttered as he ran back down the stairs.

The library was one of the best places to be on the first few days back. No one was there using the books or the space and it was just as cool as the other buildings with a lot less noise. Ed braced himself for the sweltering heat as he pushed open the emergency exit and ran towards the safe-haven that was the library.

* * *

"I did it! I did it! I. Am. _Amazing_."

Jean, Maes, Gracia, Sheska, and Winry looked up at the sight of Roy standing in the doorway of his room, looking as if he had just found the cure for cancer; Rebecca chose to ignore him and decided to concentrate on the video game she was playing.

"And why are you so amazing?" Maes asked as he lounged on his bed with his arm slung around Gracia.

"Because I just sealed a date for tomorrow night with Lacey Smith," Roy said with a victorious nod.

Winry looked around the room, confused and out of the loop having no idea who this girl was. Winry had to guess this Lacey girl was impressive or else Roy wouldn't be gloating and by her friend's faces, she felt she was right: some nodded in approval; Jean looked absolutely heart-broken.

"What's so special about Lacey?"

"She's a big-time slut who'll go out with anyone half-way decent looking so that she can try and validate herself," Rebecca answered harshly as she jammed her fingers hard on some buttons on the controller.

"Why Rebecca, I didn't know you thought of me as 'half-way decent looking'. That's quite a step above how I thought you thought of me," Roy said with a large smirk.

"So you're not denying that she's a huge slut?" she asked, pausing the game.

"That is irrelevant to the conversation," Roy snapped back, causing Rebecca to cackle madly. But it was not the usual laugh she had, one that was filled with warmth, this one seemed like it was filled with hatred. It confused Winry.

"Whatever. You two sluts belong together," Rebecca sighed, getting up from her seat and moving towards the door. "If you're just going to stroke your ego for getting the chance to feel up a girl who's easier to get than water in the middle of the ocean, than I'm leaving."

Rebecca closed the door with a snap; Winry could hear her feet pounding down the hall for much longer than usual. Winry didn't know why Rebecca was so pissed at Roy, they had always seemed to fight more than normal but it always seemed in jest, but she felt now wasn't the right time. So instead, she did what Rebecca detested and listened to Roy bragging about an apparently very easy Senior.

"Man, you always try and steal what I'm gunning for," Jean muttered sadly into his comforter after listening to Roy brag for several minutes.

"Well it's not my fault if you don't have the balls and ask them straight out," Roy said. "Girls like to be the ones asked out, you gotta be more aggressive or else you get no where."

Jean furrowed his brow before burying his face deeper into his blankets and muttering something Winry thought was along the lines of 'not wanting his sloppy seconds'.

* * *

An hour later, Winry left with Sheska and Gracia to go get an early start on dinner, hoping for a chance to clarify Rebecca's storm out earlier.

"Just go and ask. I know you're dying to know," Gracia said once they were out of ear shot from the boys' room.

"What's up with Rebecca and Roy?" Winry asked quickly.

"It's a long and messy story," Sheska said.

"Yes it is and since I don't believe in talking behind my friends backs, I think it would be best if you go and ask Rebecca directly," Gracia said.

"What?" Winry asked, feeling let down.

"She'll probably tell you," Sheska said. "You just have to man up and do it."

"Oh, but just don't do it around Riza," Gracia warned.

"Wait, why?"

"Because it involves her and it'll just cause problems if she hears it."

"But I thought you didn't like to talk behind your friend's backs," Winry said, giving the gentle-looking girl a stern look.

"Well in this case, it's a necessary evil."

"Yes, not much else can be more complicated than the relationship between Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye," Sheska said with a nod.

* * *

Winry woke up the next morning to the sound of chirping alarm which she quickly slapped, shutting it off and knocking it to the floor, before she curled into a ball under her blankets. She was exhausted and she didn't want to wake up and go to school. Her mind had been sent into frenzy with all the possibilities that could have gone on between Roy and Riza that would make it complicated. It was nuts! There never seemed to be anything complicated between Roy and Riza. They had such effortless give and take, as many best friends do, and never once did Winry feel even a shred of awkwardness when around the duo.

_Something had to have happened though_, Winry thought as she opened her eyes under her covers. _They wouldn't just make shit up._

"Wake up, Winry!" Sheska chirped happily from somewhere near the bathroom. "You need to move it if you want to get to class on time."

Winry let out the most whiny and annoyed groan she could manage before she pushed her blankets off of her and glared at Sheska's smiling and awake face.

"Please tell me it's almost summer vacation," Winry begged, feeling ungodly exhausted.

"Nope," Sheska said with a nod and smile before she jabbed her at the calander they had fixed to the wall. "We've got another 288 days and 170 days of school left."

This caused Winry to groan even louder.

"You counted?"

"I always count," Sheska said with a shrug as she drew an X over September 1, which had the two large numbers marked in the corners.

"Ugh! All those days added up seem like forever!"

"Don't worry, soon the days will be just slipping by," Sheska said. "But to have that happen, you have to get out of bed, Win."

Winry scowled before she forced herself to sit up and brush back her untamed hair from her face.

"You sound just like my mother."

* * *

"Hey Russ! Fletcher! Open up!" Ed yelled as he banged obnoxiously loud on the boys room door.

Ed _knew_ that the two brothers were still asleep, since they always seemed to get ready in less than a minute and never woke up before seven and it was now six-forty-nine, but he _needed _to check their room, _damn it,_ and he wasn't in the mood to break and enter this early in the morning.

"Open up you, lazy asses!" Ed bellowed as he continued to pound on the door, earning more than a few annoyed looks and shouts from people in the neighboring rooms.

Ten seconds later, the door opened to reveal an extremely disheveled and annoyed-looking Russell who happened to be clad in only a pair of boxers. Ed didn't seem to care because he pushed right past his friend and into their room.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have seen my copy of-"

"No. I haven't. I haven't seen anything so piss off if you know what's good for you," Russell growled before he yawned and climbed back into his bed. "You didn't come in here yesterday and if I saw a book that you might need, I would have given it to you. Check the libraries. Leave. Me. Alone."

"But I already checked them," Ed growled impatiently.

"Maybe you left it in one of your crazy hiding spots, like in a broom closet or maybe a veni-machine," Russell growled from under his covers. "Just get out of here."

"But-"

Russell pushed his covers off of him and glared at Ed with all of the energy he had this early in the morning.

"I haven't seen whatever it is. Leave me alone. If you're that desperate to check in here, do it once we're awake because God help you if you wake up Fletcher with your temper tantrum."

Ed turned his eyes towards the small, sleeping boy, hidden beneath his mountain of blankets and pillows. Fletcher was the definition of mild-mannered and polite but if you woke him before he wanted you to, there had better be a national emergency or you'd on the receiving end of the devil reincarnated. Edward gave the boy another look before he decided he was no in the mood for something like that and would just have to wait for Fletcher to wake up. Sure, he needed that book but Hell knew no fury like a cranky Fletcher Tringham.

* * *

Even though she had been crabby before, Mr. Huston did do something to help brighten up Winry's day. Mainly because one, he was hot, and two, because he had gone to the front of the class and declared that as it was Friday and the second day of school, he didn't feel like doing anything. Winry noticed instantly that Ed made a face of disgust before falling back into one of the many books he had been carrying.

Even though she had been saved from doing anything for fifty minutes, Winry still felt annoyed. She needed to talk to Rebecca. She hadn't been able to get the necessary time this morning while they waited in line for breakfast and Winry wouldn't see Rebecca again until lunch and even then she felt that her odds of getting a moment alone with her were slim.

_Maybe I could wait for her outside of her fourth period class since I have it free and then ask her while we walk to lunch_, Winry thought as she stared into space.

Winry snapped out of her thoughts when she thought she felt someone's eyes on her. She looked wildly around for a moment and found no one.

"What's wrong?" Gracia asked.

"Oh nothing," Winry said with a smile.

Winry turned her head and glanced at Roy and Riza as they effortlessly talked about some elective they had together. Not a single smile, laugh, eye roll, or punch seemed forced or off at all. How could their relationship be difficult?

* * *

"Jean, are you alright?" Winry asked as they sat at their seats in the metal shop.

Jean was bent over his desk, upper body resting on his folded arms, his face lacking its usual spark. He could have been just tired but Winry had a feeling he was hung up about Roy and his date with Tracey or whoever it was. Jean was never this quiet though, even when tired.

"I guess…" Jean mumbled.

"Are you upset about Roy and what's-her-face?"

"Not that upset," Jean admitted. "But yeah, I'm kinda annoyed with Roy. He always just seems to gravitate to the same girl I'm crushing on at the moment. I know he doesn't mean to it's just that… it's hard not to get pissed off by it."

"Well… what's so great about Roy? He's not like, an Adonis or anything. You're just as attractive as he is," Winry said.

"You think?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod.

"Because with the way some girls act around him you'd think he was Brad-fucking-Pitt."

"Well he's not. Girls just like him because he's got confidence and confidence it hot," Winry said, poking him hard in the arm.

"Whatever… the others have told me that before too," Jean sighed.

"So… what do people do for dates here?" Winry asked after a pause. "I mean, we can only go into town on certain days right? Where's there to go?"

A wide grin slide onto Jean's face before he let out a small laugh.

"Well, people who are _actually doing_ the whole dating process would probably go to one of the cafes and then walk around campus maybe."

"And what do people who aren't actually dating do?" Winry asked, smiling slightly.

"They go to the forest," Jean said with an even wider grin and a nod of the head.

"Huh?"

"You know that huge-ass forest on the west side of campus?"

"Yeah."

"Well not all of that is out of bounds. There are trails to walk around too. So you kinda… well, hook up pretty much."

"Ahh."

Winry let out a small laugh before she focused on the front of class, where Mr. Jacobs, the teacher, was standing, getting ready for class. Winry turned back to Jean, opened her mouth, about to ask about Roy and Riza, hoping to maybe get the information without having to wait for Rebecca, but she was cut off by Mr. Jacobs as he tried to start class. Winry sunk down in her seat, annoyed, and listened to the teacher talk about safety precautions. It seemed like she'd just have to wait.

* * *

Winry tapped her feet as she waited outside the languages building at Central for Rebecca to come out. By her phone, the bell should be ringing in less than a minute and her heart was pounding slightly in anticipation. She jumped as the bell rung and waited patiently away from the slew of students rushing to lunch while searching for Rebecca's dark locks amid all the bobbing heads.

"Winry?"

Winry jumped and turned around. Rebecca was standing behind her, looking curious but also happy to see her friend.

"Why are you over here? Don't you have a break?"

"Uh, yeah, I do," she said quietly before clearing her throat and forcing herself to sound louder. "But I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Alright, well, shoot," she said, smiling, as they started walking towards East Dorm.

Winry took a deep breath before she began talking and talking fast.

"Well… obviously you were kinda upset yesterday when Roy said he was going out with what's-her-face and Sheska kinda mentioned that there was some sort of drama or something between Roy and Riza and she just said I should talk to you or something."

Rebecca continued walk with her face forwards and mouth shut tight. Winry's heart began to pound harder and harder as she watch Rebecca and knew that there were gears working fast in the girl's head. It was a full two minutes before Rebecca spoke, effectively killing the time Winry wanted to use to talk.

"I'll talk to you about it after school," Rebecca said once East Dorm began to come into view.

"Uh, alright."

"Meet me in East Library," Rebecca said before she quickly changed the topic of wondering what was for lunch.

* * *

She wasn't intentionally stalking, he just happened to be there when she walked into the library after school, which was a plus. Winry saw Ed sitting at a table covered in books near the back of the library with Al, Russell, and Fletcher. The other three boys talked quietly while Ed paid attention to only the book.

Winry glanced around the library, seeing if Rebecca was there, which she didn't seem to be, before she quickly and quietly moved down the rows until she was right behind Ed. She just hoped that none of the boys would see her eyes. After a moment's consideration, Winry quietly removed another smaller books to create a large gap to better see him. She could see his face better now. It was still obscured by his long bands but now Winry could make out the line of concentration on his forehead.

"Boo!"

Winry jumped a foot in the air at the sound behind her. Turning around she saw Rebecca, laughing with her hands pressed over her mouth in an attempt to quiet the laughter that was bound to get someone's attention.

"Rebecca!" Winry hissed in annoyance.

"Were you stalking?" Rebecca asked after a moment, grinning madly.

"No!"

"You were totally stalking. It's fine!" Rebecca said, rather loudly. "I sometimes partake in that sport as well. There's no shame."

"Just shut up!" Winry growled as quietly as she could managed.

"Alright, alright. Come on," Rebecca said, motioning over to the corner where Winry could see a couple couches that were unoccupied.

The two walked over to the blue couches and sat down. No one was around them, which was good. This didn't seem like the kind of thing that should be overheard by some stranger.

"So, I wasn't there since I came here in ninth grade, but I've gotten the story from Jean, who was there," Rebecca started. "But back in eight grade, Roy and Jean were set up as roommates and Riza was already at the school. On like, the second day the boys were there, they had already become total friends by then, they saw Riza and they both thought that she was kinda hot."

Winry thought for a moment about the boys thinking that Riza was hot but Winry doubted either of them had a crush on her still. They didn't know her and yeah, Riza was attractive so it made sense that hormone infested Jean and Roy would have a crush on her.

"So, like you could guess by what you've seen, Roy kinda pounced on her while Jean didn't. And Riza, being all in denial about her being pretty, thought he was joking and ignored him. But them Roy really persisted and Riza agreed to go on a date with him."

Winry nodded, a little surprised about the idea of the two close friends dating.

"But like, you know that when little kids go out, or say they're dating, it'll last for like, five seconds or will be really lame and nothing will happen," Rebecca said with a wave of her hand. "And so I think Roy tried to get frisky with her or something, Jean was never too sure on the facts on that one but I'm sure you can _totally_ see that happening, but whatever. So, like, because Riza was all awkward and Roy was kinda crazy, they didn't talk to each other after that for like, over a month or something and then when they decided to become friends, they just pretended like it never happened."

"Is that why you were mad at Roy?" Winry asked.

"Not really. Because really, the image of little Roy trying to make out with little Riza is kinda fucking entertaining," Rebecca said with a smile. "But I'm mad at him because Roy is a complete asshole and doesn't seem to give a shit."

"Huh?"

"He always gloats about how he got this skank and this ho when he knows how Riza feels about him."

"Huh?" Winry asked again, confused.

"Well, maybe not since he's dense and an idiot but Riza totally has a crush on him. Everyone jokes about it but I know that she does… even if she won't admit it."

"What?"

"Riza's too sensible to admit that she has a crush on that douche bag, which I understand because if I had a crush on someone like Roy Mustang, I would probably not tell a soul. But Riza's my best friend and even if she won't admit it, I can see that when she hears about Roy and one of his ho's she's upset. And it makes me so mad!"

"Well… if Roy is dense, he may not do it on purpose," Winry said with a shrug.

"Yeah well, he might and it pisses me off," Rebecca grumbled. "Cocky bastard."

* * *

"Room check!"

Winry, Gracia, and Sheska turned and saw Riza and Rebecca standing in the doorway of Winry and Sheska's dorm room.

"Rebecca, you're not actually supposed to be doing the checks with me," Riza said with a sigh.

"But you said I could be in charge of yelling 'room check'!"

"I was kidding, dumbass."

"Well too bad because I'm gonna be yelling it every time you do checks!" Rebecca declared with a smile.

"Doing room checks, Riza?" Sheska asked with a smile.

"Not yet. I've got another hour before I need to go around but Bec over here felt the need to yell that. We just came over to hang out."

"Come on in!" Winry said cheerfully, tossing Rebecca a soda.

"So Roy's out with his skank of the night?" Ed asked as he played video games in Jean, Maes, and Roy's room, which was a once in a blue moon occasion.

"Yeah. He's gonna come back smelling like cheep liquor, bad perfume, and sweat and I'm gonna have to smell it all night," Maes grumbled from his bed.

"How bad could it be?" Al asked before he jerked a thumb towards Jean. "I've smelled this one's dirty socks before and I gotta say, there isn't much else that could smell that much worse. At least, I hope not."

"Ehh… I'd rate Roy's after-date smell as a five with my socks being a ten," Jean said. "Not really bad but definitely unpleasant to have to deal with."

"Hey, Maes, don't you have room checks you have to do?" Al asked, looking at his watch and see it was nine-thirty.

"Balls," Maes groaned. "Yeah. I gotta go."

"Have fun yelling at twelve year olds to stop trying to feel each other up!" Ed yelled cheerfully with a wave.

"Oh piss off," Maes growled as he walked out of the room.

* * *

Everything on the campus of Amestris Academy seemed perfect as the sun went down on the summer day. Good students were checking rooms. Boys were leaving girls rooms and vice versa. Bad students were sneaking about, trying to stay unnoticed. Laughter, music, and other miscellaneous noises floated about the campus through open doors and windows. Nothing seemed out of place.

But unfortunately, there was one person who was very out of place at the perfect school. Someone who should not be at the school at all but unfortunately was supposed to be trusted by all. No one would suspect them but hopefully, they could be stopped before it was too late.

* * *

**Dun-dun-DUN! Yeah, this story isn't just happy fun times at awesome school, shit goes down. But yeah... :P**

**Please send a review my way and I'll try and get this story updated ASAP! :D**

**Happy longest Day of the year! **

**-FSK**


	15. Planning Mischief

**Happy 4th of July everyone! :D I hope all who celebrate had fun over-eating and blowing crap up.**

**Sorry for the wait but here it is and I gotta say, I really loved writing this chapter. It's just kinda full of weirdness and very little really plot. But I like it and I hope you do too!**

**So, thank you, Dani, my wonderful editor, for you help once again and thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter!**

**Oh and guess what? I GOT MY DRIVER'S LICENSE! FIRST TRY! OH HELLS YEAH! :D**

**Um, yeah... enjoy.**

* * *

"So… are you guys pumped?" Jean exclaimed as he slammed his tray of food down one October evening.

"For what?" Ed asked, not looking up from his book as he shoveled food into his mouth.

"Uh, only the best thing ever," Jean said, rolling his eyes. When no one at the table seemed to know what he meant, he said, "Halloween Weekend!"

"Oh," said most of his friends.

"What 'Oh'? Halloween is the shit."

"Does the school do something really special for Halloween or something?" Winry asked, thinking about her previous school who had all but forgotten Halloween completely.

"Yeah," Rebecca said.

"They let us go to town and they have a dance and we eat tons of candy and it's pretty fun," Sheska said as she sipped her soda.

"It's a chance to get away from the school. Gives everyone a break," Riza said with a nod.

Almost two months had passed since the beginning of the new school year and Winry was pleased to see that school was not as hard as she had thought it would be. Sure, there were some classes that she just didn't understand but she had gone into the Academy knowing that she would be rubbish at them anyhow. All of the students seemed to be feeling some beginning of the year stress and needed something to unwind. A trip into town seemed to be the school's way of letting everyone relax. Winry hadn't really seen much of the town but she had heard stories of its wonderful simplicity and she was eager to go there.

"So when do we get to go to town?" Winry asked, eating the last bit of her pasta dinner.

"Saturday morning," Maes answered. "The school charters busses from here to the town since it's a bit of a long walk. Some kids who have cars just use them."

"Oh."

"And we get to go to the town for half of the day," Gracia said, smiling. "It's really fun. There's a bunch of shops and cool places there that we'll have to show you."

"And around six, they start sending busses back to pick kids up to take back to the school," Al added as he read a book, having already finished his dinner.

"When's the dance?" Winry asked.

"It's eight to midnight," Rebecca answered. "So it's almost always packed with underclassmen who usually have to be in their rooms by nine-thirty. But it's still worth dropping by for a little. They always manage to snag a decent D.J. so the music's good."

"And then on Sunday, they just set up tons of candy dishes in all the dorms and we all just chill out and eat candy and recuperate after an exciting weekend," Sheska finished.

"And I'm guess that we're going to be somewhere else while the parties going on?" Winry wondered, grinning.

"You got it," Jean said, grinning. "And it'll be super awesome because Vato will totally hook us up since he owes us."

"What do you mean 'us'?" Maes asked, glaring at the blond. "_You're_ not the one who convinced the R.A. that plant growing on his window sill was simple Cleome plant."

"What was it?" Winry asked hesitantly.

"Pot," Roy declared before he returned to his second helping of his meal.

"Keep your voice down, dumb-ass," Riza hissed, punching him in the arm.

"What? The whole world knows that kid is a complete pot-head," Roy said with a roll of his eyes. "I mean, have you seen him? His eyes are just two slits he's so high!"

"Um, so are we smoking pot?" Winry asked, not really excited about smoking pot.

"Only if you want to," Russell said. "I mean, when you go to Vato, he'll try and sell it to you. We just use him for a booze hook-up though."

"Oh," Winry sighed, relieved.

"So, when are we going to see our favorite super-senior?" Rebecca asked, staring at her plastic spoon.

"Well, you should probably do it soon before some other kids get him and take all his stuff," Ed said, snapping his heavy book closed. "All the kids on campus know where to get pot and booze from and a quarter of campus will probably be making their way to him within the week. So you better hurry up."

With that, Ed stood up and left the table; Al, Russell, and Fletcher followed after him after saying goodbye.

"So, back to what I was saying before, who's going to Vato's?" Jean asked.

"I'm not," Gracia declared. "I hate that place. If I come within two feet of him and his room I end up smelling like pot and Maria would totally freak. Not to mention that that guy's a creep."

"You gotta get a less uptight roommate, girl," Jean said, pointing his fork at her. "Why don't you just go on and move on to the good side of East Dorm."

"I like Maria," Gracia said defensively. "And no. You guys are all staying in your rooms that you were staying in your first year, well, except for Roy, Jean, and Maes. But I want to keep staying in my room."

"And that's just fine, my lovely," Maes said, embracing her tightly. "I think it's best if you don't sleep so close to me anyhow. I may not be able to contain myself and then where would I be? I'd be expelled."

"Gross," Rebecca commented, staring at the rather open display of affection going on in front of her.

"But I also can't stand the thought of those boys in Central staring at my beautiful girl!"

"Calm down, Hughes," Roy said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "No guy in their right mind would try and steal Gracia away from you."

"Unless they were suicidal," Jean commented. "But guys! We keep getting off topic! Vato! Who's going?"

"I think Winry should have the pleasure of going to see him," Maes said with a smirk.

"I'll go, too," Roy said. "In case the R.A. get's suspicious with a bunch of people going to Vato's. I can usually defuse her."

"Who's the R.A. there?" Winry asked.

"You'll see," Sheska said with a slight shudder. "But she's nicknamed the Ice Queen for starters."

"Yeah, I think I heard Grumman calling her that once," Jean said with a snicker. "Grumman's awesome."

"I'll go to Vato's," Rebecca said. "It's always interesting to see him."

"Alright, but when are we going?" Roy asked.

"Tomorrow," Jean said. "There's a student council or student… committee or something meeting tomorrow. She'll be gone if we go around four."

* * *

"So, what's the deal with this Vato guy?" Winry asked the next day as she, Roy, Rebecca, and Jean marched over to North campus after classes.

"He's been going here longer than Riza has," Roy informed her. "But it's mostly because he failed two grades. He just lays around, doesn't do a lick of work, and just smokes pot and drinks all day. I think he's like, nineteen."

"This school's expensive. How and why do his parents pay so much for him to go to a school where he doesn't do anything?" Winry asked.

"It's because he's also stinking rich and his parent's donate tons of money to the school already," Rebecca said. "I think his parent's are tired of him or he's tired of them or something because he_ never_ goes home for holidays."

"That's kinda… sad," Winry said.

"Yeah well, there's a rumor that he's actually really freaking smart or something," Jean said. "That why his parent's sent him here. He used to be able to recite dictionaries or something crazy like that at the drop of a hat."

"Really?" Winry asked.

"That's the rumor," Roy said. "Some say that he might even be smarter than Ed and that kid is a freaking mad genius. All I can say, if that's true, is that I'm glad that he fried his brain because this campus can't take two minds like Ed."

The group moved along until they reach North Dormitory. The layout of the common room was pretty much the same as the layout in East and Winry had to assume it was the same in all of the dorm buildings. The only thing that was really different was the lack of noise. There were students in the Common Room, but they talked quietly, with the television set to low volume. As the group took to the stairs, another thought came to Winry.

"How does he get all the stuff?" she asked. "Like the booze and pot. Where does he get it from?"

"They say he's got a friend or brother or cousin who's older with connections and he lives near the school," Roy said. "No one's quit sure how he get's it into school but I don't think the school checks your mail so they could be getting it in that way."

They got off onto the second floor and walked to the end of the hallway. There were a few voices coming from other rooms but all of the doors were closed. Something didn't feel right here, at the end of the hall. In East dorm, most of the room doors were open all day and even during the night but here, it was like no one wanted to be seen. It bothered her.

Finally, they reached the very end of the hall and stopped in front of room 221. Someone had taken a piece of paper, scribbled '420' on it, and taped it over the actual room number. Jean ignored it before he took his hand and slapped the door, knocked on it once, and then slapped it again in one fast motion.

"A secret knock? Really?" Winry asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yes and keep your voice down," Jean muttered hurriedly, looking around the eerily deserted hallway.

They could here some scuffling from the other side of the door for a moment before there was a turn of the lock and the door opened to reveal a teenaged-boy. The smell hit Winry first. It was a weird sweet-sour smell which she had to guess was because of the pot and the fact that like most teenagers, he did not clean his room. Once she got over the smell, she saw the boy.

Vato was a tall, relatively thin boy who with black hair, the top of it being dyed an odd silver color, and mere slits for eyes. Winry had thought her friends had been over-exaggerating but it was true. He was dressed in a baggy t-shirt and sweat-pants, both stained and torn. His flat expression broke into a wide grin once he saw who was at the door.

"Jean… what's up, dude?" Vato asked, leaning against the door frame.

"We came for a little business," Jean said, smiling.

"Righ', righ'," he mumbled as he scanned the halls. "What time is it? Is the Ice Queen here? Cuz you know I can't do anything more than breathe if she's here."

"She should be at a meeting of some sort," Roy said. "We knew it would be safe to come now."

"Good thinkin', my man," Vato said, nodding heavily. "Well, no point in standin' out here where the whole world can see us."

Vato took a step back into his room, allowing the others to come in; Winry followed in a bit hesitantly.

Winry stared in horror at the state of Vato's room. There was no floor visible besides the small patch in front of the door leading to the hall; everything else was covered in clothes and food containers. The smell only multiplied in the room and Winry found herself breathing through her mouth after a minute. The grandeur of the mess was rather impressive, seeing that school had only been in session two months and there seemed to be several years accumulated mess in the room.

After the general shock of seeing the room in such a state passed, she realized that instead of bunk-beds, there was one bed and one desk. She guessed that no person on earth would want to share a room with him. Lastly, Winry noticed a rather suspicious looking plant sitting in the window, which made her chuckle lightly.

"So, who's the new broad?" Vato asked, smiling lecherously at her. "I can't have no nark on me. Not after the damn Ice Queen came in here with her search team."

"She's Winry," Rebecca said. "And she's cool. She wouldn't nark on you."

Vato took a step closer to her and stared down at her, making Winry cringe slightly. Winry forced herself to bring her eyes up to his slits, unsure if he could see her.

"I won't tell, I swear," Winry said, hoping she sounded strong. "Unless you have a dead body hidden under all this mess."

Winry feared she went too far when he didn't make any comment but after a long moment, he smiled and let out a small laugh.

"Nah, killin' someone would be too hard. I can barely light a damn cigarette without having that bitch on my ass," he said before he stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned to Jean. "So, what'cha want? The usual?"

"Yeah," Jean said.

"Hey, Falman, you got any fireworks?" Rebecca asked, looking eager. It took Winry a minute to realize that Falman must be Vato's last name.

"No fireworks, Catalina," Roy growled. "We don't want you near bombs."

"And here I thought Mister I-Carry-A-Lighter-Around-With-Me-Where-Ever-I-Go-For-No-Particular-Reason would enjoy a little pyrotechnics," Rebecca said with a sigh.

"No-go on the fireworks," Vato said as he took a cigarette and lit it. "My buddy got busted with fireworks last time he tried to bring them in for me. Have to stick with the basics. Want a light, Jean?"

"You know it," Jean said, eagerly accepting the cigarette offered to him.

* * *

Vato didn't give them any bottles when their business was done, he just said instead that they would be in the 'usual place' after Roy handed him a handful of bills. When they left the room, Winry's body itched with the need to go back to her room and take a shower.

As they walked back down the hallway, Winry seemed only more aware of the silence now that they had done the deed and broke the rolls. They made it down the steps and the through the common room and where at the door when they where stopped.

"What are you doing here, Mustang?" growled an icy voice from behind them.

"_Fuck_," Roy hissed under his breath before he turned around.

There, standing atop the counter, was a teen-aged girl. She had long, luscious blond hair, big blue eyes, and perfectly pouty lips. She was curvy and a little taller than Winry. She thought of how absolutely gorgeous she would be if it weren't for the heart-stopping glare she wore on her face the contorted her features to cruelty.

"Oh, hello, Olivier," Roy said, smiling his charmer smile. "I didn't see you there."

"Of course you didn't," she growled, jumping gracefully from the counter. "You're always walking around, unprepared and unready."

"Well most of us don't expect to be attacked at any minute, so you'll have to excuse me."

"You are most definitely not excused," she growled. "What were you and your little cronies doing here? You have no purpose to be here in North. You don't belong here."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of the rule that said students weren't allowed to visit other buildings. My bad, Olivier," he said, smiling widely.

Olivier moved forwards and stopped a foot away from Roy; she was almost eye-to-eye with him but Roy didn't seem to be effected by her glare at all.

"Problem, Miss R.A.?" Roy asked.

"You smell like the scum of Falman's room. What were you doing there?"

"How can you possibly know that we were in Falman's room? We could have just been in the end of the hallway."

Olivier ignored his comment. Instead, she pushed past him until she was in front of Jean, who visibly tensed.

"And you smell like smoke."

"Wasn't smoking," Jean said quickly. "You can't prove _anything."_

"Or really, Havoc? Because I can and I will. Mark my words."

Olivier sent chilling looks to Rebecca and Winry before she left the group, making sure she bumped shoulders with Roy as she passed. The four then quickly left the building, only speaking when they were several yards away from the dorm.

"That fucking bitch," Jean grumbled.

"You were very smooth in there, Jean," Rebecca said sarcastically. "'Wasn't smoking. You can't prove anything'. You'll be lucky if you ever get smokes again."

"Who the hell was she?" Winry cried.

"Ow, that Ice Queen really hurt my shoulder," Roy muttered, gripping his shoulder. "But that was Olivier Armstrong: Resident Advisor of North Dorm and resident buzz-kill. She's a senior and a good one at that so she'll be gone next year thankfully."

"She's one scary lady, isn't she?" Jean asked Winry, who nodded quickly.

"Ehh, she's not all that bad," Rebecca commented. "She's just tough on you guys because you're a bunch of dumb-fucks who deserve a good ass-kicking."

"You would be more afraid of her if you were on the receiving end of a death glare," Jean growled.

"Yeah well I'm not on the receiving end so it's not my problem."

"Does she like you or something?" Winry asked.

"She likes me and Riza; Riza especially," Rebecca answered. "She likes the tougher girls and she keeps trying to get me and Riza to transfer to North and become part of her crazy Dorm-Nazi group. But I wouldn't go to North in a hundred years. Even if it meant I got to escape from these two idiots."

"Why not?"

"Didn't you see how freaking quiet it was in there?" Rebecca exclaimed. "Armstrong has got the entire dorm wrapped around her fingers! No way in hell would I enjoy telling people that they're being too loud. I would not work well there. Riza could but I just couldn't."

"Oh."

The group kept walking towards their safe and loud dorm, happily anticipating the weekend and the arrival of Vato's shipment.

* * *

"Come on, Ed, you're going," Russell growled Saturday morning as he stood next to Ed, who was sitting at his desk, reading.

"Nope," Ed said, not looking away from his book. "I already said I was going out with you guys tonight. I'm not losing an entire day."

"Ed, get up before you're dragged to the buses," Al said, annoyed with his brother.

"Not going."

"Oh yes you are."

Al, Russell, and Fletcher turned to see Roy and Jean standing in the doorway, dressed and ready to go spend the day in town.

"Thank God you're here," Al sighed. "I really didn't want to carry him all the way down to the buses by myself."

"Like you could get me out of here," Ed muttered. "I could hand your ass to you and you know it."

"Really because… no you_ really_ couldn't," Al said, goading his brother.

"I so could!" Ed declared, slamming his book down in aggravation.

"Well then why don't you try?" Al asked, motioning for him to come at him.

Ed pushed himself up and was just about to move towards his brother when he stopped and sat back down in his seat, quickly returning to his book.

"Stop it, Al. I'm not falling for it," Ed said.

"Wow, it only took you sixteen years to figure out that one," Russell said.

"Okay, this calls for drastic measures," Roy said. "Jean, grab his arms."

"Yeah, like Jean's really gonna be able to get my arms," Ed said, glaring at them.

"No, but he sure will distract you while Al does it," Roy said, smiling as Al pulled him into a full-nelson.

"Agh! What the hell, Al? Who's side are you on?" Ed yelled as Al tightened his hold.

"Sorry, brother. But I'm doing this for your own good. You've got to stop staring at books all day and go outside and get some fresh air!"

"You guys fucking suck!" Ed screamed as he kicked his legs in an attempt to keep the others at bay.

"And you've got to stop being such an indoor girl," Roy said as he grabbed one of the pillows from the bed, placed it near his face, and dove to grab at Ed's flying legs. "Jean! Help me!"

"Got it!"

"I swear to God I will fucking kill you in your sleep, Mustang!"

"That's complete bullshit, Ed," Roy yelled as he held onto one of his legs. "You don't believe in God! Jean, do you have his other leg?"

"Got it!"

"Al, you ready?"

"Are you fuck-tards really gonna try and carry me?" Ed screamed, golden eyes bulging slightly.

"Ready," Al nodded.

"On the count of three. One."

"What the hell?"

"Two."

"Al! What kind of brother are you?"

"Three!"

"AGH! Fucking hell, Al! You're gonna snap my damn neck!" Ed yelled as the three teens began moving towards the door.

"Sorry. Russell, give me a hang here," Al said.

"I hate you all so much!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Just remember that we gave you the option of walking," Roy said.

The boys finally made it into the hall, where the rest of their friends stood, dressed and ready for a day of fun. They all wore different expressions, ranging from gleeful to exasperated.

"Ready to go?" Maes asked, smiling at the scene.

"Come on," Roy said. "Let's _go._ This kid's heavy as fuck and he ain't getting any lighter."

"How heavy is fuck?" Rebecca asked Sheska, grinning.

"Really fucking heavy," Roy groaned as he forced Ed's foot to not connect with his chin. "Next time we do this, Al, you're on fucking feet duty. This kid is about a minute away from giving me a black eye."

"Alright, let's just get to the elevator quickly," Al said, shifting his weight slightly. "He is heavier than I last remembered."

"I don't even have any fucking shoes on!"

* * *

**So yeah, little actual plot but there will be some next chapter I promise. :P**

**I hope everyone enjoyed and approved of my character writing. Because I thought that blaming Falman's non-existing eyes on being super high was brilliant. And I hope I did alright on Olivier because I like her.**

**Happy summer!**

**-FSK**


	16. Village Idiots

**Hey everyone! Uh... really sorry for the wait.**

**I'd love to say that I was really busy for the past month but I wasn't and I feel really bad for making you all wait so long. But here's Chapter 16 and I hope you all love it!**

**Thanks for everyone who reviewed last chapter and thanks to my wonderful editor, Dani! :D**

* * *

"Oh cheer up, Ed!" Jean said as he bent over the next row of seats and ruffled the disgruntled boy's blond locks. "You can't tell me that you're not at least a _little_ excited. It's always a blast going to the town."

"Whatever," Ed grumbled as he sullenly sunk further down his seat.

"Hey, be grateful we let you get your shoes," Roy said, popping up next to Jean.

"Gee, thanks," he muttered.

Roy and Jean slid back into their seats, grinning widely, as the bus engine started up. Ed turned his head to glare at his brother, who smiled sheepishly. Kids in the bus began to shout and scream in excitement, despite the bus driver's orders for them to be quiet. Sheska bounced up and down in her seat next to Winry while Rebecca talked about trying to get some cute guy's number in town.

"This is so much fun!" Sheska squeaked. "You're gonna love it, Winry. I just know it."

"I'm sure it'll be awesome." Winry nodded, smiling. "And I can't wait for tonight either."

"Tonight's gonna be epic!" squealed the small brunette.

"Geez, calm down, chika," Rebecca said, turning her attention the girl who was now literally bouncing off the walls. "It's just a party."

"Yeah," Roy said as he turned his legs into the isle so that he could stare at the girl. "You're acting like a freakin' Twitard or something. Did you spike her coffee this morning, Winry?"

"Nope," she muttered. "Do you know if Vato sells Ritalin?"

"Don't think so," Roy said seriously.

Winry turned her attention to the window and watched as the thick greenery passed by quickly. The ride into town would only take about ten minutes but Winry was just barely containing her excitement. There was something about the idea of her and her friends being released on a town for the day that made her heart pound with excitement.

The town of Resembool was apparently small but filled with things to do. Winry had heard that the town held great places to eat, have fun, and even some decent shopping places. She just hoped that the town could live up to its hype. When she went to her old school, most of the field trips never lived up to the hype that surrounded them.

After several minutes of driving through a road surrounded by thick vegetation, the forest seemed to break and a small, bustling town could be seen. From the higher altitude, Winry could see that the town's center was small but she guess it actually spread on for a while since scattered homes could be seen going far into the distance. The bus erupted into a chorus of cheers and shouts as the bus made level with the town and began to slow down. The bus pulled next to a large wooden sign that read:

**Welcome to Resembool**

Founded April 8, 1879

Even before the bus had made a complete stop, students all around began to jump up and tried to get to the front of the bus. The surly bus driver yelled for them to return to their seats or else she would turn the bus back around. Everyone complied under the threat. Once the bus had made a complete stop, the driver stood up and addressed the group.

"Alright, listen up!" she yelled so that she could be heard over everyone's excited chatter. "The buses will be back here at six and stop coming at seven-thirty! You're butt better be back on campus by curfew if you chose to stay longer. Got it?"

"Yes," the bus's occupants mutter in return.

"Good. Now get off and try not to embarrass your school," she finished before she sat back down in her seat and opened the doors.

"Come on!" Winry's friends yelled as they, like everyone else on the bus, began pushing and shoving their way to the front.

Once Winry had finally managed to get off of the bus and away from the crowds of crazy students now running down the main street of the town, she looked around at her friends, who all had varying degrees of excitement written on their faces.

"So… where to?" Winry asked, not knowing that those words would light a fuse on an explosion of excitement.

"We need to go the gi-normous candy shop!" Sheska yelled. "Floor-to-ceiling candy dispensers!"

"What are we twelve?" Rebecca countered. "We need to go the diner to check out the hot guys in town!"

"Yes diner. No checking out guys," Jean said.

"Uh, no diner. We should go check out the second-hand shop!" Gracia suggested.

"We're not going to some dumb clothing store!" Roy exclaimed.

"And neither are we," Ed sighed before he pulled on his brother's and Russell's arms and began tip-toeing backwards, hoping to escape from their crazy friends.

"And where are you four going?" Maes asked, not even needing to glance over his shoulder at them.

"Unlike you, we actually have important things we need to check up on," Ed said.

"Where? The book store?" Roy asked with a scoff.

"And so what if we are going there?"

"Guys!" Riza yelled loudly over all of her friends. Everyone turned to look at the blond, who looked rather annoyed with her company. "How about we just split up for a bit, go where ever, and then meet up at the diner at noon?"

Everyone looked around at each other before they shrugged, muttered an agreement, and split into their separate groups. Ed, Al, Russell, and Fletcher disappeared down a side street within seconds of the agreement while Roy and Jean spent several minutes dragging Maes away from Gracia.

"I'll see you at lunch, silly," she said, smiling after giving him a kiss. "Go have fun with the boys."

"I'll be waiting, my sweet, lovely, wonderful-"

"Oh can it, Hughes," Roy growled as he and Jean pulled him farther down the street.

"So? Where _are _we going?" Winry asked after the other had left.

* * *

The bookstore smelled kind of like an attic and at least half of its books were second-hand. The horrible green carpet was stained all over and looked like it belonged back in the fifties. The place's heater had broken down again, making the building as chilly as it was outside. This place was no Barnes & Nobel, but Ed would take what he could get. Last time he had been here he had found a book that he though was promising but turned out to be rubbish. The others liked to come here to trade books and personal stories with the elderly store owner. While the others were perusing the fiction section, Ed stalked up and down the medical isle, knowing in his heart that there would be nothing there.

"Why don't you just pulled yourself away from there and come over here, Ed?" Russell asked from behind a book shelf. "It's just depressing over there."

"I don't have time to read stories about unicorns and fairy-tales," he growled loudly so that his friends could hear.

"We're not telling you to read those gay things," Russell sighed. "Just because something isn't a medical journal doesn't mean it's shit."

"Yeah. There are some cool books here," Fletcher said commented quietly as he looked over a book on agriculture.

"Come on, Ed. You should really try and read some of these mystery books," Al said brightly. "They really are interesting once you get into them."

"I've had enough mysteries, thank you very much," he said as he sulked over to where his friends were. "I don't want to be wasting my time trying to figure out a Nancy Drew book when there are better things to be figuring out."

Ed folded his arms across his chest and leaned against a book shelf, staring at the floor, while his friends exchanged glances. They all knew what Ed was talking about.

"Ed, seriously, you need a break though," Russell said. "You're killing yourself over this."

"I'm fine," Ed muttered stubbornly.

"Bullshit," Al said, looking at his brother sternly. "You sleep like, two hours a night."

"And I'm fine with that," Ed growled. "Not everyone _needs_ nine hours a night."

"Yeah but just because you feel fine doesn't mean that you're actually fine," Russell commented. "You should know that from all the medical books you devour."

"And besides," Fletcher added in his small voice. "I don't think your mom would be very happy if she saw how crazy you were acting over this."

Ed ground his teeth together and glared at his friends and brother. This was one of the reasons he preferred to hang out with Russell, and Fletcher, and Al as opposed to the others. They alone knew what was wrong with his mother and knew why he was always studying. And when everyone was together, they got teased too for being bookworms who studied too much, even though the teasing didn't really bother him.

The fact that they all knew about his mother meant that there would be no lying or deception in the group, which was something that he actually wasn't a fan of. Russell and Fletcher even helped Ed and Al read medical journals, looking for a cure.

It was all rather touching and it was something that he knew would take years to repay them for but sometimes the fact that they knew annoyed Ed. Sometimes he just wanted it to be his burden alone but having the other three helpful people know meant that was out of the question. It also was annoying at times like this, when they pulled the mom card and told him that she would be upset if they saw that he was running himself ragged. Which he wasn't. He was just fine, thank you very much. He knew how much his body could take and last time he checked, he hadn't dropped dead of exhaustion and his grades were at the top of the class as they had always been. Their persistent worrying irritated him but it also made him think about his mother too much. Would she be upset if she saw how much he was working?

_Of course not,_ Ed told himself with a shake of the head_. She told us to come here to look for a cure. Why would she be mad?_

"Whatever," Ed huffed before he began stalking back towards the front of the store. "I'll meet you back over here in ten."

"Where are you going?" Al asked.

"Getting some air. Calm down. This place smells horrible."

Ed pushed open the old, wooden door, which caused a small bell to chime, and walked out into the autumn sun. He zipped up his red hoodie, shoved his fists into his coat pockets, and began walking leisurely down the road. The town was empty and devoid of anything truly helpful but coming here always did something to him. It calmed him and made him feel much less tense. A few towns-people knew him, but no one pried into his business like they did back at school and there was a lack of loud noises to disrupt him here. Ed liked Resembool.

Not focusing on where he was going, Ed turned down a side street, tying his best to relax. Unfortunately for him, this was not the best place to relax. Not after something fell from the sky a foot away from him, which caused tons of thick smoke to billow out and obscure his vision.

"What the hell?" Ed yelled as he tried to keep his eyes open but found that the smoke stung them and made them water. "Who's there?"

Something or someone hit him in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground momentarily. Ed rolled over onto his back and forced himself up, just barely missing a fist that was aimed at his head.

"Show yourself, you coward!" Ed yelled through the thick smoke.

Ed was still forcing his eyes to try and see through the thick smoke, even though it hurt his eyes to do so. Whoever was in charge of this ambush would get their ass kicked once this smoke cleared.

Ed heard soft footsteps and turned to them but before he could do more than step towards them, he felt someone push him to the ground and tie something around his wrists. With his face pushed against the asphalt and the smoke still thick as before, it was impossible to see who his attacker was. A great weight pushed down on him and he was sure that someone had sat down on his back, knocking out air from his lungs.

"Who's there?" he wheezed out again, determined to still sound strong and unafraid, even though fear creeped into him and he realized how vulnerable of a position he was in. "What do you want?"

There was a moment's silence when all could be heard was the far-away noises from the street before his attacker spoke.

"I would like you to reconsider my offer from before, Edward Elric," the attacker said with a slight accent in the voice.

-linebreak

"Ah, I sure do love the food here," Jean sighed, rubbing his stomach as he, Maes, and Roy left the diner. "Blows the cafeteria food out of the freakin' water."

"I wish we were allowed to leave campus to come here more often," Roy said, stretching his arms high over his head while he walked down the street. "I would do it every day."

"I think you guys are over-exaggerating just a bit," Maes said, grinning.

"What?" the other two boys yelled in outrage.

"I mean, yeah, Maggie makes a mean spread but I'm afraid when you're constantly eating the works of an _angel,_" Maes's eyes began to twinkle and his voice took on a sappier and more vomit-inducing tone, "well, nothing can compare."

Roy and Jean rolled their eyes.

"Maes…come off it," Roy said seriously. "I will admit that Gracia's apple pie is ten times better than Maggie's could ever be-"

"Thank you."

"But seriously dude," Roy took a rather pregnant pause before he continued, "I gotta say, Gracia's home-made French fries could never hold a candle to Maggie's quadruple chilly cheese fries."

Maes gave him a look as if Roy had just punched him in the face.

"What?"

"I'm sorry! I'm just being honest!" Roy exclaimed, holding up his hands as if surrendering.

"And I'm sorry but I gotta agree with you," Jean said, taking a step away from the two.

"What?" the bespectacled teen repeated in outrage.

"I mean, yeah, your girl can cook but…come on."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's just that, well, Maggie's fries are just so… _greasy_," Jean said as he got a far-off look in his eyes. "And they're coated in so much salt that I'm bound to get a heart attack if I try to eat more than two helpings."

"Not to mention that chilly is awesome," Roy added.

"So, you don't like my wonderful angel's food because she's a little health conscious and she's trying to look out for her friend's health?" Maes asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Roy and Jean turned and looked at each other before they nodded and shrugged.

"Yeah, basically."

"Unbelievable," Maes muttered with a shake of his head.

"Don't take it too personally," Roy said, patting his friend on the back. "Just get it through your thick skull that you're girlfriend isn't the best at everything."

"You know Roy, I think you'd be singing a different tune if you'd just man up, quit hooking up, and start going out with that special someone," Maes said, smirking. "Maybe once you're in a committed relationship with someone, you'll start realizing how wonderful they really are."

"Fat chance," Roy grumbled, picking up his pace. "No way in hell would I ever become a sappy, hopeless romantic like you."

"I don't think the world would be able to stand it if there were more than one Maes Hughes," Jean said.

"Well, I don't see what's wrong with being a 'hopeless romantic'," Maes said, smiling. "Seeing as I'm the only one who's had a girlfriend for more than a week."

Roy rolled his eyes again and muttered something too quietly for anyone to hear. Just as Maes asked to repeat what he had said, Roy's phone went off, cutting him off.

"Hey, Al," Roy said after glancing at the caller I.D. "What's up?"

"_Um, have you guys seen Ed anywhere?" _Al asked, sounding slightly worried.

"No. Why? Isn't he with you?"

"_Well he was but… we can't find him. He's missing!"_

* * *

"_It means that they lost the bookworm and they can't find him!"_ Roy exclaimed in annoyance.

Riza, Rebecca, Winry, Gracia, and Sheska had been looking around the interesting second-hand shop when Riza's phone began to vibrate. Before Riza could even say 'hello', Roy had declared that Ed was missing. As she repeated the words, her friends all stopped what they were doing and stared, looking both confused and worried. Riza, having always been a rational person, didn't react too much to the news of a supposedly missing friend. Especially after the prank Jean and Roy played on her in eighth grade where Jean made her think that Roy had fallen out of the boat on the way to the island and was now floating down the river when in all reality, he was sitting in the storage shed on the island, waiting to scare her. Riza had learned that her friends could be cruel on occasion.

"Have you called his cell phone?" Riza asked.

"_What do you think were idiots?"_ Roy asked. _"Of course we called his freaking cell phone! So did Al and Maes and everyone else. It just goes to voice mail."_

Riza continued to stand there, thinking quietly, while her friends looked at her, begging for information on what was going on. It was almost a minute before she spoke again.

"Roy Mustang," she said sternly. "If you are trying to play some sick prank on me, I swear on my mother's grave that I will-"

"_This isn't a prank!"_ Roy exclaimed_. "At least… if it is one I promise I'm not in on it. And really, does Ed seem like the kind of guy who would do this?"_

"No," she said slowly. "But are you guys sure he's just not ignoring everyone? He does tend to do that."

"_He wouldn't ignore a call from Al and he definitely wouldn't ignore the shit-load of text we're sending him."_

"What's going on?" Rebecca yelled at Riza.

"Ed's missing?" Sheska asked.

"They aren't sure," Riza said, turning her phone away from her mouth. "They can't find him and he's not answering his phone."

"Ask him where the last place they saw him was," Gracia piped up.

"Where's the last place they saw Ed?"

"At the book store. Al said that they were looking around and then Ed left the store for some air and that he'd be back in a minute and then… nothing. After fifteen minutes, Al and the others went out to look for him but they didn't seem him anywhere. They looked all over before they tried calling him and it went to voicemail."

Riza moved her phone away from her mouth again and relayed the story back to her friends.

"Did they look around the area to see if Ed dropped his phone anywhere?" Winry asked, her heart pounding a little harder than normal.

"Did they look to see if Ed dropped his phone anywhere?" Riza asked.

"_I don't know_," Roy said. _"They probably did but… well I don't know. Listen, can you guys just meet us at the book store? We're going to meet up with Al and Russ and Fletcher and we're gonna look around some more."_

"Alright. We'll be there in five."

"'_Kay, bye."_

"Bye."

"So what's going on?" Rebecca asked.

"We need to meet them at the bookstore and we're gonna look around with them for a bit," Riza said calmly as she stowed her phone back in her purse.

"And what if we don't find him?" Sheska asked worriedly as they quickly left the shop.

"I guess we'll call the cops," Riza answered.

"Do you think he's really missing?" Winry asked Gracia, who shrugged.

"This could just be a miscommunication or something," Gracia said. "His phone could have fallen out and he could just be sitting up in a tree, reading."

"Or he could be missing," Rebecca said, causing Sheska's face to fall.

"It's too early to speculate," Riza said, her voice stiff and professional. "We just have to go and look and wait."

* * *

"Definitely not!" Ed growled as he strained against the ropes that bound him to the chair. "Why would I ever work for some psycho who kidnaps people? Now let me go, you freak!"

It was hard to see in the dark, deserted building that Ed had been dragged into but there was enough light leaking in from cracks around the room for him to be able to make out Lings form sitting in front of him.

After Ling had tied a length of rope around his arms and chest, tied a dark cloth over his eyes, and slapped a piece of duck tape over his mouth, he was pushed down the road a bit before being shoved through a doorway. They had tied him to a chair and left him alone for a few minutes while they talked in rapid Chinese. After a few minutes, the cloth was removed from his eyes and after a moment's hesitation, the tape was removed from his mouth. Ed contemplated screaming for help but decided against it; he wasn't in mortal danger and why bother sounding like a weak coward when you don't have to?

Lan Fan moved forwards quickly and slapped Edward.

"You will not speak of Master Ling in that matter!" she yelled angrily.

"Geez, you have your little girlfriend working as bad cop over here?" Ed asked, trying to ignore the sting caused by the slap. "At least man up and do the dirty work yourself."

"Lan Fan, please refrain from man-handling him," Ling said.

"Yes Sir," Lan Fan muttered, bowing slightly, sounding flustered.

"Now, back to my offer-"

"I told you once and I'll tell you again I don't want to work for you!" Ed yelled. "I won't do it and you can't make me!"

"Really?" Ling asked.

"Yeah," Ed said. "And once I get out of here I'm gonna go to the cops. I got you down for assault and kidnapping. I don't know how it works back in China but just because your daddy has some money doesn't mean you can just get away with this kind of shit."

Ling didn't say anything and Ed had to assume that he was staring at him since it was too dark to see clearly.

"How are you going to get out of here?" Ling asked. "I made Lan Fan confiscate your phone. You are tied up and even if you were to escape, you are both outnumbered and outmatched."

"How are you so sure?" Ed asked. "How do you know that you two are better than me?"

"Because I am a better fighter than Lan Fan and as I saw before, you could just barely overtake her."

"Right," Ed mumbled as he rolled his eyes.

"Sir," Lan Fan said quietly, moving forwards before she pulled Ling away from Ed.

While the two talked, Ed tried his best to turn his wrists so that he could possibly until the ropes. Unfortunately, he felt that if he tried to twist his wrists anymore, they might just snap in half.

After a few more minutes of whispered conversation, Lan Fan and Ling returned to Ed. Ling sat down in his seat and Lan Fan stood behind him, glaring at Ed in the dim light.

"So, after some deliberation," Ling turned his head to glance at Lan Fan, who seemed to fidget guiltily, "we have decided to let you go-"

"Finally-"

"If…" Ling said, pausing for dramatic effect, "if you are able to get through me and Lan Fan."

"What?"

"Yes," Ling said, getting up from his seat. "Untie him."

Lan Fan moved around and sliced through the ropes with something before she pushed him roughly from the chair. Ed pulled off the last remains of the ropes before he looked up at Ling.

"And… if I lose?" Ed asked, even though he already had an idea of what losing would mean.

"If you lose?" Ling repeated before grinning widely. "You_ must_ join me."

* * *

**Dun-Dun-DUN. Oh Nos! What do you think will happen?**

**I think next chapter will be more fun than this. More partying going on.**

**Unfortunatly... my summer... is drawing to a close... *bursts into tears* and I am going to be really freaking busy like, all year. Seriously, until November I only have three nights a week where I'm not doing anything (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) so I'll try and write as much as I can this school year.**

**So, even though summer's ending there's one good thing that comes from it: My siblings leave for college and I get a house to myself! :D And guess what? My sister's studying abroad in JAPAN. Be jealous.**

**Well, hopefully I'll update again soon.**

**-FSK**


	17. Suspiscion

**T~T ...I have to go to school tomorrow... *bursts into tears* God! There has never been a time when I've wanted to go to school less than right now. I don't want to go. Period. I'm not looking forward to anything accept Marching Band and starting next week, I'll be so freaking busy it's insane. There is just nothing positive coming out of the school year starting. Can't even put my hatred into proper words...**

**But yeah, I'm glad a bunch of people review last chapter, thanks, and thank you to my awesome editor Dani!**

**Enjoy... I wish I went to a school like this...**

* * *

Ed grunted as he dodged yet another punch from Ling.

Ed grabbed onto the arm that just barely missed his head and flipped the dark haired boy onto his back. But before he could even try and hold down the squirming foreigner, his left arm jerked behind his back and began twisting into painful positions. Lan Fan had grabbed onto his arm in an attempt to stop him.

"Get off me!" Ed yelled as he tried to twist out of the girl's remarkable grip.

"Never," she growled into his ear as she struggled against his movements.

Ling pulled out of Ed's grip and moved out of reach. But before Ed could reach again, Ling's fist found its mark on Edward jaw. In a move of desperation, Edward began to fall backwards, hoping that he would either crush Lan Fan or she would let go before that. He heard a gasp and felt the pressure on his left arm lessen but it was too late to stop his fall and his right elbow soon collided with the hard floor in an attempt to stop his fall.

Ed winced against the pain but opened his eyes quickly when he saw the dark silhouette of Ling moving towards him. Ed pushed himself off the ground and was able to dodge the attack before he dropped to the ground again and flinging out one of his legs, hoping to trip one of them. He felt a great weight stumble over it and soon heard Ling shout involuntarily as he braced himself.

Ed took the momentary lack of attack to spring back up and back up to the wall, hoping to feel for the door. Sure, he wasn't one to run away from a fight but this was seriously mental and Al was probably worried about him.

_Where is it?_ Ed thought as he tried to move as quickly and quietly as possible. The darkness was both a blessing and a curse. He could hear Ling and Lan Fan whispering to each other, wondering where he had gone. Finally, his hand found a thick metal latch and after a moment's hesitation, Ed lifted it and immediately regretted it.

Bright blinding lights went on all across the room, blinding it's occupants momentarily. Ed squinted against the lights and saw that his two opponents were standing about thirty feet away from him and that the exit was only twenty feet away. Was he fast enough to get there in time? He would have to try.

Summoning every last ounce of energy, Ed began running towards the door, ignoring the shouts and the pounding footsteps coming from behind him. His hand landed on the thick metal bar that would open the door and he pushed it open.

"Yes!" Ed yelled as his head broke out into the sunlight.

But before he could get a foot out into the ally, he felt something collide his back, forcing him to the ground. Ed managed to turn over as someone tugged at his hair and attempted to restrain his arms with a length of rope.

"No way, you bitch!" Ed yelled as he shoved Lan Fan away from him with all his strength.

"No! I must!" she half-yelled, half-panted as she tried to force him down.

Ed knew that he and Lan Fan were pretty evenly matched but once Ling entered the fray, he just knew he would be too outmatched to win. But after struggling against the girl for a few minutes, Ling still didn't come. Ed managed to glance through Lan Fan's fingers, which were trying to force his head down to the ground, and see that Ling was standing ten feet behind them, watching them. Momentarily confused, Ed was cut off guard and was almost subdued by the girl.

"No way!" Ed growled as he mustered up his strength and flipped the fighting girl onto her back. He felt sorry in the back of his mind when he though of how hard he slammed her head against the ground but he pushed that though away.

Ed managed to trap her hands tightly in one of his, grabbed the length of rope she had been trying to use on him, and quickly tied her arms up with the rope.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Ed yelled victoriously while Lan Fan yelled in frustration.

Suddenly there were several pairs of feet running towards them and many voices that he recognized.

"There you are, Ed!"

"We were all worried sick about you!"

"Um… what are you doing?"

Ed looked up and saw all of his friends surrounding him, staring down at the scene, looking very confused. Suddenly, Ed realized what it must look like, with Ed pinning down a girl, her hands tied up, while they lay in the middle of the street. He felt his face reddened and he quickly jumped off the girl and tried to explain himself.

"It's not what it looks like, okay?" Ed yelled, knowing his face must be bright red. "These psychos kidnapped me and I was trying to escape!"

"Uh huh," Roy nodded skeptically, smirking broadly.

"That's what happened!" Ed yelled, voice cracking, annoyed that most of his friends were smirking at him, probably all thinking dirty thoughts.

"Why Edward," Roy said as he moved towards him and threw an arm around his shoulder. "I would have never have thought you were into such kinky activities. Bondage? We sure had you pegged wrong."

"Shut up, Mustang!" Ed growled through clenched teeth as he forced his arm off his shoulder.

"You know, since you're denying it so much I can't help but think that it might be true," Maes said, grinning.

Just as Edward thought his head might explode, Ling stepped out of the building and greeted him. Ed thought he might have heard Roy mutter something along the lines of 'Three-some' but Ed did his best to ignore it.

"Sorry for stealing your friend," Ling said to his friends pleasantly, taking them all by surprise. "I was merely borrowing him for a training practice."

"What?" Ed yelled, confused. "I thought you wanted me to join you."

"Like Master would ever want the likes of you protecting his life," Lan Fan said scornfully as she struggled against the ropes tied around her wrists.

"Yes, yes, I do apologize for this whole fiasco," Ling said to Ed, bowing slightly. "We needed some practice and as we knew you to have such a short fuse and good fighting capabilities, we felt you would be a good candidate."

"What?" Ed yelled once again. "You guys are seriously messed up in the head!"

"You will not insult him like that!" Lan Fan cried as she finally managed to wiggle out of the restraints. She then turned to Ling and to everyone's surprise, looked like she was about to cry.

"I am sorry, Master!" she cried, her head down turned. "He got away from me. That is not acceptable!"

"It's alright, Lan Fan," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You did well. We'll just have to work more."

Ling then turned back to Ed.

"You are pretty good at fighting," he said, smiling.

"Gee, thanks," Ed muttered darkly.

"Would you be willing to maybe assist us again?"

"No way in hell!" Ed growled.

"I mean, we wouldn't go through all of this to get you but maybe in the light of day, during a free period," Ling suggested. "Just so that we wouldn't lose out touch."

Ed didn't respond. Most of him wanted to shoot down the idea of helping these people who just kidnapped and harassed him but a small part of him stopped to think over the idea. Would it be that bad to have someone to spar with? Sure, he did it with Al on occasion but he knew Al's style like the back of his hand and fighting with someone new could help him. He'd have to think about it.

But instead of saying this aloud, Ed simply snorted, turned his back to him, began walking away and said, "Fat chance," over his shoulder. He knew that that wouldn't deter the likes of him.

As Ed and his friends walked down the road to the dinner for some much needed food, they recounted the story of how they thought he had gone missing while Ed filled in the gaps where he was at the time. By the time they had reached the dinner, most of his friends were laughing again at the story while Ed was still in a foul mood which was only increased by his hunger.

The group quickly devoured the delectable food from the dinner before they finished up their trip of the village and returned to the school on the bus at six o'clock, all excited to continue on with the nights festivities.

"I really don't want to go to the crappy dance," Ed muttered as he walked towards East Dorm with the others. "I just want to sleep and then go relax on the Island."

"You can still relax for a while until the party," Al said, rolling his eyes. "Go sleep for like, two hours and then get ready."

"Maybe," Ed yawned as he tried to tune out the other's excited yapping.

"Oh! Look! They set up the pumpkin patch!" Sheska squealed as she pointed towards the previously empty field, which was now filled with stacks of hay and large orange pumpkins.

"Hey, I never asked," Winry spoke up, "but where is the party?"

"Oh, it's at the stadium," Rebecca answered. "They have students volunteer to go and decorate it so it looks all cute."

"Volunteer my ass," Jean growled, turning around so that he was walking backwards and facing the girls. "The last time I got detention I was put on decoration duty. I swear to god it was hell on earth."

"Well that's what you get for acting up around the holidays!" Rebecca replied. "You know the rules."

"And I thought it wasn't that bad," Riza answered, who, along with Maes and Gracia, willingly volunteered to help. "I mean how annoying is wrapping some orange streamers around some banisters and taping paper ghosts up everywhere?"

"Yeah, and there were cute-girls galore there," Gracia added. "I would have thought you would have enjoyed it since the cheerleaders had to decorate."

"Yeah well…" Jean sighed, turning his head downward. "The cheerleaders aren't very well… fond of me anymore."

"And that's putting it lightly," Roy added over his shoulder, grinning.

"Why?" Winry asked, intrigued.

"It's nothing," he muttered, turning away from them.

"Does it have to do with Chloe?" Rebecca asked loudly, smiling. "Did they hear what happened the last time you tried to take out a cheerleader?"

"No! She doesn't even go here anymore!" Jean exclaimed, face turning pink. "Shut up, you man-eating harpy."

"And who in there right mind would after that?" Rebecca cackled. "But then again, seeing as she willingly went out with you, I think I'm right to say that she was never in her right mind."

Rebecca continued to cackle loudly as Jean flipped her the bird and began picking up his pace so he could escape the laughing girl.

"Seriously, what the _hell _went on during that date," Winry asked, stopping in her tracks.

The other girls stopped, exchanged glances, and smiled lightly.

"I think you'll have to wait for that story," Rebecca answered after a moment. "It won't be done with justice if it's just us telling you. Now come on, we've got a dance to get ready for."

* * *

"Who's ready for a party?" Rebecca yelled as she strolled into Sheska and Winry's room without knocking.

Rebecca was wearing a pair of pointed cat ears, a tight, black, strapless dress, a pair of cheetah print leggings and some black, fuzzy Ugg boots. On her face she had painted on some cat whiskers. After spending a moment to take it all in, Winry decided that with Rebecca's confidence, she pulled off the skin-tight and almost ridiculous outfit.

Riza came in a moment later, sulking slightly with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She too was dressed up a little but seemed to be enjoying it a lot less than Rebecca was. Riza wore a tight, red halter with black skinny jeans, and red heals, which were probably a good too inches too high for easy maneuvering. On her head she wore a pair of red devil horns and over her arm she held a black sweatshirt. Winry couldn't help but admit that she looked rather hot in the outfit but knew that Riza only put on the outfit to humor her friend. She was sure she had heard Rebecca pleading with her about an hour before.

"We're almost done!" Sheska declared as she finished with the last bits of her own make up. "You guys look sexy."

"Thanks, gurl!" Rebecca purred, putting her hands on her hips. Riza continued to sulk in the doorway, pretending as if she had not heard the compliment. "You too look pretty fine yourselves!"

"Thanks," Winry and Sheska replied together.

Sheska wore a purple tank-top, an emerald green mini skirt, black and green stripped tights, and cute black ankle boots. On her head she had a pointed witches hat and there was a stick tucked into a belt loop, probably supposed to be a wand.

Winry looked at her reflection in the mirror and took in her image. She was dressed as a pirate and didn't think she looked all that bad. She wore a tight red and white stripped shirt, a pair of tight black shorts, with a thick black belt, and a pair of stiletto, black boots that were Rebecca's. Wrapped across her forehead was a red bandana, in her ears were large golden hoops, and slipped under her belt was a plastic sword.

"Hey, Gracia sent me a text," Riza said, speaking up from her place at the door. "She says she's at the boy's room. We should go down there."

"Hey, are we coming back to the dorms to change before the party on the island?" Winry asked quietly.

"I don't know about them but I sure as hell am," Riza said as she quickly zipped her black jacket over her revealing top.

"Riza!" Rebecca shouted. "Don't cover up! You're supposed to look sexy! Not like you're taking out garbage."

"Who would ever take out garbage in skinny jeans and high heals?" Riza asked, exasperated, as she wobbled along on her heals.

"Okay maybe I exaggerated but still, come on!"

"No."

"Riza!"

"No."

"Riza!" Rebecca repeated, using the whiniest and most annoying voice at her disposal.

"No, Rebecca," she growled, giving her friend the deadliest glare at her disposal.

Riza stopped and pouted but leaned over to Winry and whispered, "I'll get that sweater off of her if I have to burn it off." Winry laughed but then stopped when she saw the look the Riza was giving them.

"Hey, boys!" Rebecca squealed as she strutted into the room. "What do you think?"

Roy and Jean, who were in the middle of a heavy video game battle, didn't do more than flicker their eye to her before Jean spoke up.

"I wouldn't touch that pussy no matter how much anyone paid me."

Roy smirked but didn't say anything. Rebecca stamped her foot before she glared at the two boys.

"Like you would have the _nerve_ to touch anyone's, Havoc," she growled as she sat down on the edge of Maes's bed.

Ignoring the minor confrontation, the rest of the girls filed in and sat around the room, waiting for the boys to finish their game. Winry noticed that none of the boys were dressed up as anything before she turned her eyes to Gracia, who was dressed more demurely than any of them. She was an angel, obviously. She wore a white sun dress, white heals, and had a pair of fluffy white angel wings strapped onto her back. Her lack of revealed skin made Winry feel kind of slutty.

"You guys look so hot!" she commented from her seat on Maes's lap.

"And you look adorable," Riza said, smiling.

"Of course my dear, wonderful, angel is adorable!" Maes exclaimed as he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and kissed her on her cheek. "But isn't she also beautiful and gorgeous and perfect?"

"Of course she is, Hughes," Rebecca answered with a sigh.

"And what about us?" Sheska asked, winking at him.

"Hmm… you're looking a little slutty tonight to be honest," Maes answered quickly.

"Well duh! It's Halloween," Rebecca said with a roll of her eyes. "It's a free pass for girls to look as slutty as possible."

"But that doesn't mean that you have to," Maes said. "You could be more grown up like my wonderful Gracia and not look like a slut."

"Well la-de-da for Mrs. Hughes over here," she said sarcastically, making Gracia blush slightly. "But we aren't married and we're looking to hook up."

Riza and Winry exchanged looks, both having little to no plan on hooking up with any boy tonight. Sheska however, nodded happily and grinned.

"Hey are the blonds coming anytime soon?" Riza asked as she glanced into the hallway. "It's already eight-thirty."

"So, it's just the lame party," Roy muttered as he hammered away on the colored buttons with his thumbs. "What really counts is the _actual _party."

"But it's still fun to go to for a bit," Gracia said, smiling. "Do you think we should go down there and see if they're ready?"

"No need," Ed said, sounding tired, as she walked into the room and leaned against one of the walls. "We're here and ready to go."

Winry looked up and cut Ed's eyes, she hesitated for a second before she smiled slightly at him. Ed returned it after a second, causing Winry's heart to flutter momentarily. She quickly turned her face away from him before she could embarrass herself.

"Just one more minute," Jean muttered as he began pounding away at the buttons. "Shit, shit, shit! No!"

"Yes!" Roy exclaimed, victoriously punching the air. "Alright, now that I owned his ass, let's get moving."

Together, the group of friends walked down the hallway and the stairs and out of the building. As the walked to the stadium, Winry looked around at the decorations that popped up everywhere: scarecrows, ghosts, pumpkin patches, stacks of hay. Winry thought that everything looked much cooler in the darkening light of the night. She could hear some of the music coming from the stadium and saw students, all in varying degrees of costumes, running and laughing and talking excitedly as they moved towards the illuminated stadium.

"You ready, Winry?" Sheska asked, grinning from ear to ear as they got into the line that led into the stadium.

"Uh-huh," Winry nodded.

They walked through the dark tunnel that was filled with fake cobwebs and entered a Halloween wonderland. It seemed like every inch of the stadium was filled with decorations: streamers and cobwebs hanging form the railings; hay-bails stacked up around the field; scare crows propped up with sticks; plastic gravestones popping up from the ground; fake skeletons hanging over banisters; smoke machines billowing out thick clouds of eerie smoke. It was all rather impressive to Winry, especially when she remembered the Halloween dance they had at her old school: a cafeteria filled with paper decorations and crappy, 'school appropriate' music. She looked up and saw the D.J. in the announcer's booth, blasting some pop song.

"This is so awesome," Winry announced in awe, causing her friends to smile.

"Well let's go dance!" Rebecca yelled, grabbing onto Winry and Riza's hands before she began pulling them towards the center of the field, where most of the dancing was taking place.

* * *

"Man, when are we leaving?" Ed muttered to Russell, who was sitting next to Ed on the bleachers. Neither of the two blonds liked dancing and neither could wait for the better party coming up later in the night. "It's already ten o'clock. We said we'd only be here for an hour."

"The girls don't want to leave," Russell said with a shrug before he downed his soda.

"It's not just the girls," Ed said, scowling and pointing towards one of the larger hay piles. "Mustang's having a fun night."

Since they had sat down on the bleachers an hour previously, they had been able to see the dark-haired boy pull not one but three different girls into the depths of the hay hideout, only to be broken up when a passing teacher caught them.

"We should just leave now and then they can meet us up on the Island," Ed sighed. "We have two boats."

"Hey, guys."

Ed turned his head and saw his brother walking up the stone steps towards him. He had disappeared twenty minutes earlier when the girls had come to try and make them dance; Fletcher had gone along with him but seemed to still be held captive by the girls. Al was pink in the face and he was slightly out of breath.

"So, how was the dance?" Ed asked, smiling.

"Fine," Al answered in a shrug.

Actually, Al had had a blast dancing even though he would never admit it to his brother. He mostly danced with his friends but on occasion, he was pulled away by a few girls from his cooking class, which seemed to amuse his female friends to no end. For some reason, Al could never shake the feeling that someone was watching him…

"Do you know when we're going to leave?" Ed asked, glancing at his watch for the billionth time that night.

"No."

"Well can you go down and ask the girls when they're ready?" Ed asked, sighing.

"I guess," he muttered as he got up from his seat.

"Hey, can you go make sure my brother didn't get trampled?" Russell asked, looking concerned. "I can't see him anywhere."

"I saw him a bit ago but I'll go look for him," Al said, smiling, before he left the two.

* * *

"This is so much fun!" Winry squealed as she danced with her friends. She noticed a few boys noticing her but she ignored them. She wasn't in the mood to talk to some boy who just wanted to make out with her in some hay.

"I know!" Sheska yelled back over the roar of a techno tune. "I wish they could do these more often!"

"They should do these once a month!" Gracia giggled as she danced demurely with Riza, who had loosened up a bit since arriving.

"Does anyone know where Rebecca ran off to?" Winry asked, looking around for the dark-haired girl.

"She's probably over there," Riza muttered dryly, pointing over to one of the many hay piles which were moving unnaturally. "Getting felt up by some football player."

"Eh, let her have her fun!" Sheska laughed. "Anyways, we're going to have much more fun later on the is-"

Riza had covered her friend's mouth with her hand. She was not worried about student's overhearing her, they were too busy with their own fun, but she suddenly saw the taller, more grown figure that could only belong to a teacher. Soon enough, Mr. Huston entered the fray, pulling along a very dishevelled Rebecca by her lower arm. He didn't look mad though; more like amused.

"Hello ladies," Mr. Huston said, smiling at all the girls.

"Hello," they answered back.

"Would you help me out and keep a good eye on your friend Rebecca here?" he asked, smiling as he let go of Rebecca and gave her a slight push forwards. "She's been causing me some trouble tonight."

"Sure," Riza said, giving her friend a stern look before pulling her towards her by her arm. "Sorry if my roommate was a nuisance."

"Eh, she's not as bad as some," he said with a lazy shrug. "So, are you girls enjoying the dance?"

"It's awesome!" Sheska piped up, blushing slightly when Mr. Huston smiled at her.

"Glad you like it," he said with a smile before he turned to Gracia. "So where's your little boyfriend?"

"Oh, he's getting me a drink," she answered, grinning slightly. "He should be back in a minute."

"Good," he said with a nod. "If he doesn't hurry up, someone might just scoop you up." He smiled again before he added, "_all _of you girls better watch out. There are some dangerous boys here."

"Right," Winry said with a smirk and a slight roll of the eyes.

"Gracia!"

The girls turned around to see Maes fighting through the crowds with two drinks in hand. Gracia moved forwards to help pull him through and kissed him once he had fought his way out of the crowds.

"Thanks, sweetheart," she said as she accepted the water bottle from her boyfriend.

"Hello, Maes," Mr. Huston said.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Huston," Maes responded, sounding slightly surprised, as if he hadn't noticed the man.

"Well, I better get going," Mr. Huston said, smiling again. "You keep an eye on Miss Catalina."

"I will," Riza said, glaring at Rebecca, who grin broadly.

Mr. Huston turned to leave but then stopped and addressed Maes.

"And you keep an eye on her," he said, pointing to Gracia. "She's a good girl. Don't want her taken away by some bad kid."

"Um, I'll make sure she won't," Maes said, looking slightly confused.

"Well, night everyone."

"Mr. H is awesome," Sheska squealed. "And super hot!"

"Did he really catch you making out with someone?" Riza asked, exasperated.

"Maybe," she said, smiling. "But I was kinda hoping he would come and join me."

"Ugh," Riza groaned, slapping her forehead slightly with the palm of her hand. "As long as you didn't say it… you didn't ask him did you?"

"No," Rebecca pouted.

"Who were you macking on anyways?" Sheska asked, intrigued.

"Oh no one important," Rebecca said coolly, her face turning crimson.

"Oh really?" Riza asked skeptically.

"Anyways," Maes said, speaking up. "I ran into Al and he asked when we would be ready to leave."

"I could go now," Riza said.

"I've macked enough," Rebecca said, smiling. "I can go."

"I could use a break," Winry sighed, rubbing one of her feet.

"Well we still need to find Roy and Jean. Do you know where they are?"

"Where do you think they'd be?" Sheska asked, grinning.

"Hay pile."

"You know it."

"Rebecca, do you know which one they were at?" Maes asked.

"Why would I know where they were at?" she asked, sounding annoyed as her face reddened again. "I wasn't making out with them so I don't know."

"Alright then," he sighed. "I'll be back in a minute."

"So… who were you making out with?" Riza asked coyly as Maes retreated.

"Well, which time?" Rebecca asked, smirking. "I've made out with many a guy tonight."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"Hey, why don't we go run to the dorms while the boys are getting rounded up so that we can change?" Gracia asked.

"Sounds good," Rebecca said quickly, who seemed happy to change the subject.

"I'll just send a text to Maes so he knows."

"Alright."

Winry moved to follow her friends through the crowd but stopped after a second and turned around. She didn't know if she was going crazy or something, but Winry could have sworn someone was watching her again. Winry scanned the crowd for someone who was staring at her but no one seemed to give her more than a passing glance.

"Winry!" Rebecca called after her, now a good ten feet away. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" she said, picking up her pace.

As she and her friends left the stadium, she tried to make her believe that her paranoia was getting the better of her but for some reason, she felt off. Maybe someone really was watching her. Well, she would just have to be careful.

* * *

**So yeah, next chapter will be party and stuff. And I'm sure there will be plenty of bitching author's notes because I love to bitch to people I don't know.**

**Hopefully I'll be able to update within a year since I'm gonna be _so freaking busy!_fiohvb lksdvl bndskl/vdfab,VZGIUVKB SDKVLCN. ASZ! (excuse my language, :P) But I've got some of next chapter ready so hopefully I'll get it up soon.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you send a review my way. :)**

**-FSK**


	18. Confessions

**Hi peoples! I'm really tired...**

**So, yeah, started school and it sucks. And I only have three days a week when I don't have to do something after school that takes several hours and it's really annoying and I hate it and I just want this year to be over with already. :| Really positive stuff here.**

**But I have been writing tons for this story. I have up to chapter 22 completed and I think I'm like, half way done with 23. So this story really shouldn't suffer at all.**

**Warning, this chapter really wasn't edited. My poor editor is also very busy with her own school work so yeah, hopefully it's not too bad.**

* * *

"Seriously, doesn't it make you mad?" Rebecca growled as she and Riza changed in more comfortable clothes.

"Um no it doesn't," Riza answered as she zipped up the black jacket she had been wearing earlier over a grey t-shirt. "Roy and I are just friends and he is at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he wants to. In fact, he can do whatever he wants to whomever he wants. It doesn't matter to me."

"Ugh, bull-_shit_," Rebecca groaned as she tied her shoes. "It _so_ bother's you and you just won't admit it."

"Hmm, just like you won't admit who you were really kissing tonight?" Riza retorted, causing Rebecca to shut up.

The door to their room opened, revealing Sheska, Winry, and Gracia, all re-dressed in jeans and sweat-shirts.

"Hey guys, you ready?" Winry asked.

"Yes," Riza answered before quickly changing the subject. "Now, Rebecca told me she was macking on George Stewarts, the star quarterback. Do you guys believe it?"

"What?" Rebecca growled. "I was _so_ swapping spit with him."

"Gross," Gracia muttered.

"Well, George is a bit of a player," Sheska said. "I don't see why not."

"Thank you, Sheska," Rebecca said to the bespectacled girl. "Now is it so hard to believe me? Whatever, let's get back downstairs to meet up the boys."

Rebecca grabbed her bag and began marching down the hall as quickly as possible. The other girls followed slower in her footsteps.

"So, why are you so skeptical?" Winry asked quietly.

"Because of all the boys she named, I know that none of them are smokers," she answered, smirking slightly.

"And that means… what exactly?" Sheska asked.

Riza paused for a moment before sighing and answering.

"Because she reeked of cigarettes."

* * *

When the girls got to the common room of the building, they found the boys sitting around waiting for them. Trying to look as innocent as possible, the group meandered towards the bridge and quickly slipped underneath it, where the two raffs were waiting for them. As Winry got into one of them, a thought stuck her.

"But what about room checks?" she asked worried, turning to Rebecca, who snorted.

"We got that covered," she said confidently.

"You see on nights like tonight, almost everyone is doing something against the rules," Roy said as he paddled against the current. "Even the good kids who are supposed to be doing room checks."

"Whoever's doing the room checks will cover for anyone who's not there," Sheska said. "At least, that's how it is in East. I can hardly imagine North doing something like that with Armstrong as their RA."

"And what about you, Gracia?" Winry asked. "Is someone covering for you?"

"Maria," she said with a smile. "My roommate. She's understanding and doesn't mind lying for something like this. It's a special occasion."

Winry nodded before she turned her focus back on the island. They hadn't been to the island since before school started and everyone seemed to just barely contain their excitement for the place. She could understand; school had been tiring and a break was needed.

Once they reached the beginning of the rocky shore, a couple of the boys hopped out of each of the raffs and helped to pull the raffs up to a safer point to get out. The Island still looked kind of eerie to Winry, even though she knew there wasn't much to worry about here. She followed after her friends, who were all chatting happily about how they missed the island.

After a minute of walking through the beaten path, they reached the party site. Rebecca ran to the shed to go get the music started and turned on the Christmas lights that were draped everywhere. Jean and Roy ran into the forest for a minute before they returned with two large coolers, which Winry guessed were filled with alcoholic beverages.

"Let's get this party started!" Jean called as he reached into a cooler, randomly pulled out a drink, and began to chug it.

* * *

"So, Fletcher, how's it going?" Al asked the other blond boy as he sat down next to him on one of the couches.

"Oh, everything's fine," Fletcher said, smiling and nodding his head along to the music. "How are you?"

"Ehh, I guess I'm doing alright," Al answered as he stared into his plastic cup.

"Still haven't found Mrs. Right?" Fletcher teased slightly, earning a scowl from Al. "Come on, I'm only joking."

"Well, yeah, I haven't found a girl," Al answered, the sour expression sliding off of his face. "At least, I haven't asked one out yet."

"It can't be that hard," Fletcher said, grinning. "I saw all those girls swarming you earlier. You could have your pick of any of them."

"Nah, some of them were only goofing around."

"Oh well sorry, you could have had your pick of _most _of them," he said, rolling his eyes slightly.

Al punched him lightly in the arm. Fletcher stared out into the distance for a moment before he turned back to Al.

"You know, I think you should know something."

"What is it?"

"Well… I don't know if it's true or not. And I don't want to call this person out, but you should probably know…" mumbled the gentle blond.

"What is it?" Al repeated in a sterner voice, feeling slightly worried.

"It's probably nothing but I think some girl has been watching you."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"Well, I don't know," Fletcher shrugged. "Sometimes when I'm walking to class with you I feel like someone's watching us and whenever I turn to look, I see a girl running away." Fletcher paused for a second before he added in a rushed voice, "But like I said, it's probably nothing. Coincidence."

"What's she look like?" Al asked, thinking about how he had felt like there were eyes on him earlier.

"Well I never see her face but she's got dark hair, pigtails or something, and she's really tiny," Fletcher said, thinking. "I don't think she's in my year so she could be an eight-grader or something."

"Oh," Al muttered, trying to think of anyone who fit the category; there were a lot of students at the school and many of them he hardly ever saw. It could be anyone.

"But I mean, she could just be some little kid with a crush on you," the smaller boy said quickly.

"Probably," Al muttered before he drank from his cup, not particularly happy about some thirteen-year-old with a crush on him. But then again, it was flattering all the same.

* * *

"You can't deny it, Bec," Riza said sternly as she spoke to her friend in the sanctuary of the trees. "You made out with-"

"Gah! Shut up!" Rebecca squealed as she covered Riza's mouth with her hands. "Don't say it out loud were everyone can hear you, idiot!"

Riza ripped her friend's hands off of her face and took a step back, looking particularly annoyed.

"First off, please keep your hands away from my mouth," she growled. "I have no idea where they've been tonight and I'd really not like to think about it."

"Oh calm down, Riza," Rebecca sighed with a roll of her eyes. "It's not like I never wash my hands."

"So," Riza said after a moment. "Are you admitting that it happened?"

Rebecca crossed her arms across her chest and turned her head to look out one of the many rotted holes in the barn wall. She stood there for a moment before she spoke.

"Yes," she muttered in a voice nearly inaudible over the pounding base of the music.

"I don't see why you're so upset," Riza said with a sigh. "It's not like Jean's ugly or anything. He's actually pretty cute."

Rebecca made a face at Riza to which she rolled her eyes at the dark-haired girl.

"Jean's like my brother, alright missy? But really, there are a lot worse people you could have ended up with in there."

"But I _hate_ him!" Rebecca growled, stamping her foot on the ground.

"Now I seriously doubt that, Rebecca."

"No, I hate him."

"Really because you seem to get along with him just fine," Riza said with a slight smile. "And I've seen what happens to people who you actually hate and you definitely don't hate that kid. You two just tease each other."

"Whatever."

"So how did it happen anyhow?" Riza asked, sounding interested.

"Well, you see – first off it was really dark over there and it was hard to see who was there."

"Sure, sure," the blond nodded, smiling still.

"But well, it was loud and I couldn't quiet recognize his voice and well… things happened…" Rebecca trailed off, her face obviously blushing in the dim light. "And then things got kinda… um, well, things escalated and um, I kinda recognized his voice."

"Now when you say 'escalated', what does that mean?" Riza asked eagerly, not quite sounding like herself.

"Nothing bad or anything!" Rebecca exclaimed. "It's just… he got louder is all…"

"And then what happened? Did he know it was you?"

"Well I don't know if he would if it weren't for good, old Mr. H," she muttered bitterly. "So like, I figured it was him and I got kinda freaked and I tried to get away and then I, well, fell out of the hay. And Mr. H was right there…"

Rebecca stood there, staring at the ground because she could no longer face her friend, speaking in a monotone voice and looking mortified.

"And then dumb Mr. H was like 'Rebecca? Is that you?' in this really loud and obvious voice and, and," Rebecca turned her face upwards and Riza was surprised to see the state of her friend: face bright red and eyes slightly watery. "And freaking everyone saw me and I wouldn't have minded if I were in there with anyone else, you know I wouldn't."

"Yeah," Riza said with a sigh, knowing how Rebecca would make it known how many hot guys she'd gotten with.

"But since it was Havoc and, and, well, he didn't come out but I mean, how could he not hear it, right? And I'm sure Roy was right by, scoring with some skank, and even that busy boy would have heard!"

Riza moved forwards and hugged her friend, who quickly hugged her back.

"Well come on," Riza said, breaking away from the hug. "It's not like you purposely went with him. And you may not think a lot of those two but if I asked them, they wouldn't say a word to anyone."

"Like they already haven't said something to Maes," Rebecca said miserably. "And Maes with tell Gracia and Gracia with tell Sheska and Win and then it'll get around to everyone."

"But still, it's not like you meant to," Riza repeated. "It was an accident. Don't freak out over this. I'll talk to the boys if you want to."

"Only if they seem like they know," she said quickly. "There's still the possibility that they didn't hear!"

"Alright. Now, let's go and have some fun."

* * *

Ed looked down at his cell phone screen from his seat on one of the couches. His vision blurred for a second but then gathered the numbers on the screen; it was almost midnight. Sighing slightly and wondering where the time had went, he got up from his seat on the couch and moved to the quieter area off the trees. He had one missed call and there was a message for him. Moving a bit farther into the forest, Ed began listening to the voicemail.

"_Happy Halloween, Edward,"_ it was his mother, Trisha. She sounded healthy to him but he could never be sure. _"Anyways, I just wanted to call and say that we've got the plane tickets all set up so that you and Al can come home for Thanksgiving. I'll try and call again later so that I can tell you when you need to leave; I don't have the information sheet with me._

"_But I hope you're having a fun holiday and I hope you're not spending it stuck in some library or your dorm room."_

Ed rolled his eyes at this comment but couldn't help but smile slightly at the small laugh at the end of her sentence.

"_So, just try and call me whenever you can. I'll talk to you later then. Love you. Bye-bye."_

Ed stared at his phone for a moment before he shoved it in his pocket and took a long sip of his drink. His mind buzzed slightly at the sudden intake of alcohol but it quickly got over it. He downed the rest of his drink before he set his cup on the ground and began wondering through the forest; happy, although it might have just been the alcohol talking, and content for once.

* * *

"_Woo! Go, Winry_!" Sheska yelled as her blond friend attempted to down a shot of some clear liquid.

The liquid stung the inside of Winry's mouth worse than any mouthwash had ever done and it only seemed to get worse as she waited longer. But under the burn and the sting was an odd but pleasant taste. What was it?

"Come on! _Do it_!" Jean shouted in her face, some of the liquid in the bottle he was holding slopped out of the top and onto his hand. "Do it, do it, _do it_!"

Finally, with some force, Winry swallowed the drink and it burnt just as much going down as it had in her mouth. But as her head spun and she gasped for breath, a very pleasant and warm sensation started in her stomach. Maybe that stuff wasn't that bad.

"What was that?" Winry asked Roy, who was laughing slightly at her almost failed attempt. She had been blindsided a moment before with a small Dixie cup of clear liquid which she accepted with some trepidation.

"Vodka," Jean answered after he had quickly downed a shot of his own. "Cappuccino flavored. You like?"

"I don't know," Winry shouted over the music. "I'm trying to decide!"

"Well then you should do another!" Jean declared loudly before he handed Winry another shot.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!" chanted a couple of her friends as she looked at them all, smiling hesitantly. Finally, putting on a confidant smile, Winry raised the cup to her lips and threw back the drink. This time, she swallowed before it could burn that much and tossed the cup to the ground casually while her friends cheered.

"AH! You're a party animal!" Jean roared as he threw and arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him.

"Great job, Winny!" Sheska giggled, who swayed a bit too much to be considered tipsy.

"Never had pegged you to do shots," Roy said, smiling.

"Well," Winry shouted, feeling a surge of something magical pump through her veins. She grinned broadly and raised her arms into the air. "Let's do another shot!"

"_YEAH!"_

Al watched the scene of drunken and disorderly conduct from the safety of the trees. It was strange, to see such a seemingly normal girl turn into such a party animal with a few shots of alcohol. But then again, that's what alcohol did to people and that was one of the reason he tried to stay away from it. He had had enough the first time he drank and reasoned that he was not meant to be trusted with a drink. Al still shuddered at the thought of the morning after that whole fiasco.

"So, mom got tickets then?" Al asked, turning to face his brother, who sat a few feet away, partially hidden by a large tree. He had found his brother sitting by the banks a few minutes ago and had him come back to the more sheltered area where he would be less likely to be seen by anyone on the opposite side of the coast.

"Yeah," Ed mumbled as he stared into the bottom of his cup before letting out a loud belch. "She said she'd call again to give us the detail but… yeah. What time is it?"

Ed fumbled with his phone, which seemed to be glued into his jean pocket, for several moments before his brother took pity on him and checked his watch.

"It's quarter to one," Al said, suppressing a smile as his slightly drunken brother shifted unsteadily against his tree. "How much have you had to drink anyhow?"

"I… don't know," he said after a pause. "Don't care either."

Al watched uneasily as he watched his brother get to his feet a little unsteadily but held his tongue, knowing Ed would get annoyed if he offered help to the teen. Ed turned and began walking into the forest.

"Call me if you fall into the river, alright?" Al called to his brother's retreating form.

He saw his brother raise his hand and wave to him before he became invisible in the darkness. Al sighed before he got up and walked down the slope towards his friends. He went and tapped on Roy's shoulder, who turned and quickly tried to shove a shot into his hand.

"Oh wait, forgot," Roy muttered drunkenly as Al refused. "You can't drink! What's up, little bro?"

"I just thought you might want to know it's almost one," Al said, ignoring his friend's drunken shouts. Roy blinked owlishly at him for a moment before Al sighed. "You told me to remind you at one. We need to be back in the dorms by two. Alright?" Al spoke as if he was talking to a slow, small child.

"Right, right," the dark-haired boy nodded, grinning from ear to ear. Roy then threw and arm around Al's shoulder and motioned towards the crowd of drunken teenagers. "Listen man, dis girl is crazy!"

Roy was pointing towards Winry, who seemed to be having quite some trouble standing upright but still managed to through back another drink. Al felt that it would be best if everyone just left the island now before things got too out of hand but knew that hardly anyone would want to go now.

"I'll be back in twenty minutes, got it?" Al said, talking slowly and clearly again. "We have to stop then."

"Whatever," he said before he moved back to his friends.

* * *

"Where's Ed?" Winry asked as she leaned against a tree. She wrapped her arms around the tree when she felt herself shift too much in one direction. Ten minutes ago, Riza had come and declared that there would be no more shots tonight. She then pulled Winry over to the side of the clearing, watching the intoxicated girl patiently.

"I don't know, Winry," Riza said. "Can you please sit down? You're worrying me."

"I'm fine!" she declared, letting go of the tree with both hands. "See?"

Riza quickly jumped up as her friend began to fall forwards and made her sit on the hard ground, next to a few of her other incapacitated friends. Sheska lay on her back, staring at the sky with round eyes. Rebecca shifted in her sleep so that she was resting against Riza's side. Riza placed a hand on Winry's shoulder, forcing her to stay down, which she was fighting.

"I don't wanna," Winry pouted as she forced her friend off of her. "I-I, I need to, to, to dance!"

Winry sprung to her feet and instead of dancing, she began running, running into the forest.

"Winry!" Riza called after her, sounding slightly panicked. "Winry, come back here!"

Riza gently and quickly placed Rebecca against one of the trees before she ran after Winry, who seemed oddly stable as she ran through the thick groupings of trees.

"Winry!" she yelled angrily as she followed the noises that could only belong to her friend as she crashed through the woods. "Win-! OUF!"

One of Riza's tennis shoes got caught on a thick and gnarled root, quickly bringing her to the ground. She felt, as she pushed herself off of the ground, that if it weren't for the few drinks in her system, she would have been able to catch herself. But instead, she came crashing to the ground and was now sporting a scrapped knee and a really soar right wrist.

"Shit."

Riza wasn't mad that she had fallen or even that she had gotten a scrape. What made her mad and worried was the fact that the sounds that she had been tracking had disappeared into the night.

* * *

**Uh-oh. **

**Hopefully I can get the next chapter up soon. :)**

**Hope everyone else is having a better school year than I am.**

**-FSK**


	19. Hangovers and Embarrassment

**Hey what's up, readers? I hope you're all having a better time than I am right now. :| **

**So, everyone seems to just be super busy this year, including my dear editor, so this chapter was no edited but I don't think it's that bad... maybe. I checked over it. But yeah, if there are mistakes, my bad, please point them out to me.**

**Thanks for the reviews from last chapter and here's the next one!**

* * *

The ground swayed beneath Winry as she continued to move through the thick vegetation of the island. It took all her energy to focus on keeping her feet planted on the ground and staying upright whenever she picked one of her feet up to move. But she had to run; there was someone following her! It had to be the person who she felt staring at her all night, right?

"Ow!" Winry cried as she ran into an old tree and bounced off it onto the forest floor.

"Who's there?" asked a familiar voice.

Winry pushed herself from the ground and looked around but saw no one. There had to be only one explanation.

"Trees are talkin'?" she muttered as she rolled over and tried to get up but got no where.

"Winry?"

Winry rolled over again and looked up to see Edward standing over her, looking rather confused. Winry stared up at the boy for a minute with her mouth gaping before she did more than blink at him.

"Ed!" she cried, suddenly recognizing the person staring at her. "What're you doin' here?"

"Um, reading," Ed said, still looking confused, holding up the small book he held in his hand. "I like to read here by the river."

After a few seconds of focusing, Winry heard the distinct noises of the water slapping against the rocky shore.

"Do you need help up?" Ed asked, crouching down to the inebriated girl, who was still lying on the forest floor.

"I don't know if you can," Winry said. "The ground is _really _shifty. And it's _really_ hard to get up."

"Well, I think I might be able to help," he said with a half-smile before he reached out towards her and helped to pull her up.

Once Ed had managed to get Winry into a standing position, he found it harder to keep her upright, as she seemed incapable of holding herself up for more than a few seconds.

"Do you think you could help a bit?" Ed growled in frustration after Winry had collapsed on him for a fifth time.

"My legs aren't working," she said in a pleasant voice before she lost balance and began falling backwards.

"No!" Ed exclaimed as he lurched forwards and grabbed onto Winry's wrists. Ed quickly jerked her back towards him before she lost her footing and gripped onto her shoulders tightly, making sure she didn't fall again. "Man, you are more of a handful than I expected you to be."

Ed looked at Winry's face, which had gone from an expression of ignorant bliss to one that might be seen in an extremely annoying class. Her mouth was clamped shut and her brow was crinkled. Ed noted that her skin also looked paler than it had a moment before but it might have just been a trick of the light.

"Winry?" Ed asked, sounding slightly concerned. "Are you alright?"

Ed got his answer when Winry bent down, vomit spectacularly onto his sneakers and then slumped to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

"How far could a wasted girl get?" Maes asked, as he, Gracia, and Riza searched the woods for Winry.

"I don't know but she was running pretty fast," Riza said as she moved the flashlight in her hand around the surrounding area. "It's kinda scary how well she was moving, considering her condition."

"Do you think she reached the river?" Gracia asked worriedly.

Riza stopped in her tracks, thinking. This was one of those times when she really hated the idea of coming to the island to drink. It was really not a safe place at all to become inebriated, what with the thick forest filled with sharp pieces of wood and rocks that you could fall on, but not to mention the fact that there was a good sized river that anyone could easily drown in.

"She'll be fine," Riza said confidently. "She can't have gotten much father. She probably tripped or something and she's just waiting."

"Do you guys hear something?" Maes asked, stopping in his tracks and pointing his beam of light to his right.

The two girls stopped and pointed their lights in the same direction as she listened. Riza could hear a crunching noise along with some low muttering. Someone was coming towards them.

"Hello?" Gracia called out into the distance. "Winry?"

"Hey guys," Ed panted as he moved into their sight. Hanging over his right shoulder was an unconscious Winry. Everyone let out a sound of relief. "Found this running around the woods."

"Is she alright?" Riza asked, moving closer so that she could get a better look at he girl.

"Well I asked her that myself," Ed said in an annoyed voice as he shifted Winry's body, which was beginning to slip. "And then she puked on my shoes."

The three teens looked down at Ed's black converse and saw that they did appear to be a damp.

"Gross," Gracia said with a shudder.

"Yeah well," Ed muttered with a half shrug. "Let's just get back to school, I'm beat."

Getting everyone to the boats was a more laborious process than usual. Five of the twelve teens had either passed out or were so drunk that they were incapable of walking unaccompanied. Two of the seven remaining teens had been sleeping on the couches and were almost just as useless as the inebriated ones. The remaining five were then stuck with the duty of cleaning up some before carrying/dragging/guiding their friends towards the rafts. A process that usually took twenty minutes now took another sixty minutes and they really should have already reached their dorms already.

Ed, Al, and Russell, who had woken up enough to help, paddled one raft containing a passed out Winry, Sheska, and Fletcher, who Russell hadn't had the heart to wake up. Riza, Gracia, and Maes paddled the other raft with Rebecca, Jean, and Roy lying in it. After several minutes of furious paddling, they two rafts reached the shore under the safety of the bridge.

"Now… how are we gonna do this?" Ed asked as he stared at the number of unconscious bodies lying in front of him. "I don't know if we'd be able to carry all of them without getting caught."

"We should really think this through more," Maes commented as he sat down on the grass. "I mean, we've done this plenty of times now and we still wing it."

"There's nothing else we could really do to make this easier," Riza said with a sigh, hating this part more than anything. "I mean we could just not do this and avoid the aggravation all together."

"Like they," Al said, motioning towards the passed out figures, "would ever go for that."

"Yeah, well, we still need to get them all back," Ed said. "And I don't think we could get them all back in one trip."

"We'll just have to do this gradually," Russell said, shrugging. "I can take Fletcher and get him inside in probably a minute if I run."

"You probably should run," Riza said. "Just try not to make too much noise or we'll be stuck here for the night."

"Right," Russell said as he lifted his small brother over his shoulder and began running towards the back door of East Dorm.

The group held their breath as waited for Russell to return. The blond returned in less than two minutes by Al's watch but it felt like two hours.

"Alright, how about we get the lighter ones out of the way now," Ed said, turning towards Russell and Maes. "We can get them inside quickly and then maybe we'll be able to get the other two."

"Sounds good," Maes said as he picked up Sheska, who grunted in her sleep.

Russell picked up Rebecca, who was out like a light, and Ed lifted Winry back over his shoulder. She muttered a few unrecognizable words but didn't do much else.

"Just go," Gracia said as the three hesitated for a second. "Now or never. Before someone get's over here."

Without another word, the three ran as fast and as quietly as they could towards the door that led to their sanctuary. Once inside, the three boys deposited the girls on the floor next to Fletcher and quickly ran outside towards the bridge.

"Can't we just leave them here?" Ed asked as he stared down at the two teen boys. Carrying those two would be no small feet.

"Afraid not," Maes said. "Two of us each can carry them. Ed, Al, you carry Jean and me and Russell will carry Roy."

"Do you guys need any help?" Riza asked as she watched them lift the two boys from the ground.

"Nah, we got it," Russell said.

"Just stay here for now," Al said before he and his brother took off at a jog.

"I really, really hate this part," Riza admitted as she and Gracia waited in silence for their friends to return. "Going to the island doesn't seem worth the trouble half the time when you think of how much trouble we could get into if we were caught."

"Sometimes you need to break a few rules to have fun," Gracia said with a shrug.

"Yeah well, I think we're breaking more than a few school rules. Not to mention laws that could get us much more than a few detentions," Riza growled as she began rattling the list off onto her fingers. "We're out past curfew, we went to out of bounds territory, we had a _bunch_ of alcohol, which is illegal, and-"

"You know, if you're going to have an anxiety attack every time we do this, you could just stay back," Gracia said, grinning slightly. "And besides, I can't remember a time when you didn't have at least a little bit to drink when we're up there."

Riza rolled her eyes before she leaned against the stone underside of the bridge and waited. Minutes passed and soon, Riza felt that the boys' trip had taken way too long. Gracia and Riza began to panic silently, thinking that they had been caught.

"Maybe they've just got to wait for a guard to pass by," Gracia whispered, not wanting to be overheard by a possibly guard.

"Or maybe they're in serious freaking trouble," Riza growled.

"Or maybe they were taking a five second break so that they wouldn't die after carrying two, heavy guys," Ed said as he moved silently under the bridge again.

"Well you could have sent us a text or something!" she growled quietly. "We were worried about you."

"It would have been nice if you did," Gracia said, giving her boyfriend a stern look.

"Sorry," Maes said, looking like a kicked puppy. "We didn't want to risk it case your sound was on and a guard was nearby."

"Whatever," Riza said. "Let's just get these rafts back to where they belong and get back. I'm exhausted."

"You two should get back to the dorm," Maes said, looking at his girlfriend and Riza. "I don't want you guys to get caught."

"If anyone should go it should be me," Riza said, lifting up part of the boat to show that she wasn't leaving. "They've got nothing on me. I'll get a slap on the wrist but some of you will get a harder sentence."

Her eyes traveled towards the two blond boys who rolled their eyes at Riza. In the end, Riza, Al, Maes, and Gracia had decided to help carry the rafts back to the secret storage shed in North Campus. At the side of building C, there was a rusted metal door that had a pad-lock on it. Al pulled out a small key and opened the door, which creaked loudly. The room was probably only five-by-five feet in size but it was filled to the brim with stacks and stacks of cardboard boxes and old, outdated text books, metal folding chairs, and several broken objects. Al moved forwards and picked up an old lantern and turned it on, filling the tiny room with light.

"Bring those in and shut the door," he ordered.

But adding three more people and two large rafts into the cramped space was no easy feat. They quickly unplugged all of the air holes in the rafts and quickly tried to deflate the inflatables. The group then shoved the deflated boats behind a stack of books, turned off the light, and got out of the room. Al locked the door and the group of four began to run quickly.

"Shh," Al whispered as they tried to run as quickly and as quietly as possible. "Duck down when we go over the bridge."

It was risky taking the bridge back but their other option was going all around the lake where they ran the possibility of being seen by Olivier Armstrong, who could easily see the edge of the lake from her dorm room window. Twice on their journey back to East, they had to stop and hide from a wandering guard and they nearly had a heart attack when Maes sneezed involuntarily and a guard almost saw them.

But once again, they had managed a somewhat safe journey back and when they entered East Dorm, the found Ed and Russell sitting on a couch nearby their unconscious friends, waiting for their return.

"We would have taken them up but we only had the keys to mine and Russell's room," Ed said as his friends moved forwards. "We took Fletcher up though."

"Well, it's one less to carry," Maes said before he went to pick up Sheska again. "I'm exhausted. Let's get this over with."

* * *

_What the hell happened last night?_

Winry's head felt like her head was being hit repeatedly with a hammer and her mouth was dry as sandpaper. Her body ached and her body just seemed to continue to spin, no matter how still she stayed. She let out a low, painful moan before she rolled over in her bed and took a chance with opening her eyes.

"Morning, Queen of the shots," said a dry voice from somewhere below here. Winry didn't know who because the second after she opened her eyes, she needed to close them desperately.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. "Where am I?"

She was somewhere soft but she had no recollection of ever reaching her bed. Her last clear memory was of drinking a third shot of…something and then her memories became too hazy to remember anything. The rest of her night was gone, except one thing.

"Oh my god," Winry gasped, sitting up against her better judgment and opening her eyes in horror.

"Whoa, take it easy."

Winry turned and saw Riza sitting at Winry's desk, reading a book. A second after sitting up, Winry felt a great wave of nausea and pain hit her and she was forced to lie down again.

"Oh my god," Winry repeated, covering her face in embarrassment.

"What is it?" Riza asked, walking over to the bed.

"I just remembered something…" Winry gasped.

"What? That you become another Rebecca when you down four shots in a row?" Riza asked, clearly annoyed.

"No," she said, sounding horrified. "I just remembered… I puked on Ed last night."

"Oh."

"Please tell me that that was just a bad dream," Winry pleaded quietly.

"It was just a bad dream."

Winry turned to look at Riza, who was clearly not trying to lie in the least. Winry let out a loud groan, that hurt her head, and pulled the covered over her head, feeling mortified.

"I'll never be able to see him ever again," Winry cried.

"Don't worry, it happens to everyone," Riza said, patting the bulge in her bedding that was presumably Winry's head. "Rebecca pukes on someone's shoes every other time we do that."

Winry groaned again before she pulled the covers from her head and turned to look at Riza.

"How did I get here anyhow?"

Riza recounted the story of how the remaining teens had managed to get the incapacitated back across the river and into the dorm without being detected. She then said how they had carried them to the elevator and managed to get them all into their beds. Gracia had slept in Riza and Rebecca's room last night because she was too tired to try and get back to her dorm.

"She's in my room right now, looking after Becca."

"Oh. Thanks."

"No problem."

"What time is it?" Winry asked, closing her eyes against the very dim lighting of the room.

"Twelve-thirty," Riza answered. "Sheska and Rebecca are still asleep. I don't know about Roy and Jean but Maes is looking after them right now. Do you need anything?"

"Water," Winry croaked.

She heard Riza open the door to their mini fridge and seconds later, a bottle of water was sitting in front of her eyes. Slowly, Winry drank the bottle and hoped that her stomach would allow that much.

"Do you think you could eat anything?"

Winry shook her head weakly before she covered her face again with her blankets again and tried to fall back asleep, hoping that when she woke up again that she would have forgotten about vomiting on Ed's shoes.

* * *

The rest of Halloween went by without anything rather exciting happening. The hung-over tried to curl up and ignore the noise coming from other rooms but no matter how many blankets and earplugs they stuffed into their ears, they could always hear the loud laughter and shouts of teens enjoying a holiday.

Riza informed Winry, when she asked for the millionth time why everyone was so loud, that there was a torrential downpour outside and only those hell-bent on needing to go outside did, as the temperature also dropped significantly over night, meaning that everyone was stuck inside.

By five o'clock, the friends all seemed to have recuperated enough to eat their meager meals of microwavable foods; no one dared to brave the elements just so that they could get a some-what better meal.

"Last night was pretty fun," Roy said with a nod as he devoured his fourth packet of ramen noodles. He had woken up two hours ago and spent one of those hours curled up by the toilet in case he needed to puke again.

"Yeah it was," Jean said weakly from his bed. He still had a bad headache but still was able to eat five bowls of Easy-Mac. "Do you remember Winry and the shots?"

"Kinda," Roy admitted. "Everything's kinda fuzzy after my fifth shot. How's your head?"

"Trying to kill me," Jean answered. "But I think I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"I hope so. Aren't you using a bunch of loud, noisy machinery in Metal shop tomorrow?" Roy asked, grinning as his friend cringed at his friend's choice of adjectives.

"…maybe I'll call sick tomorrow…"

* * *

**So, pretty uneventful chapter but it was a needed chapter. Next one I think it better... *runs to go check because I'm so awesome and I already have it written* ehh, it's got some stuff in it. :P But I'm sure I'll have it updated soon too.**

**But please send me a review because they lift my downtrodden spirit. :(**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-FSK**


	20. A Plan of Attack

**Hey everyone... um, sorry for this late update. My bad.**

**OH MY GOD, IT'S CHAPTER TWENTY! :D WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?**

**So yeah, last chapter there was some drunkness and then some hangovers. Basically it. :P**

**Thank you, my lovely readers for reviewing last chapter and thank you to my wonderful editor, Dani, for her awesome-sauce work on editing. :)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"So, where are you going to for vacation, Winry?" Gracia asked loudly. Between the roar of the rain pounding on the dorm windows and a dorm full of teens talking and laughing, a person had to shout to be over heard.

"I'm going to my grandma's house," Winry answered gloomily as she played with her food. "She bought me a plane ticket already."

"Well, at least you'll be with family," Sheska said at an attempt to make her feel better.

"Yeah I guess…"

It was now Wednesday and the rain that had started on Sunday had hardly relented at all. The grounds had turned into swamps and hardly anyone reached a class anymore without being completely drenched. The dryers in the dorms were working over time as students tried to dry their clothes during free periods. The bitter cold rain had ended classes early yesterday, when an announcement told everyone to return to their dorms after fourth period. Today, the rain had turned into heavy sleet and classes had been canceled completely, cheering up students considerably.

Despite the weather, everyone talked about their mini vacation that would happen at the end of the month when classes would end for Thanksgiving. A notice had been passed around yesterday, confirming that everyone had a plan for the time off of school so that if needed, water and electricity would be given to those who were staying, even though no one ever did. Winry, who had been in a good mood ever since her hangover dissipated, became sulky and depressed at the thought of spending a Thanksgiving away from her parents. The anger and resentment that came when Winry first found out that her parents were leaving her returned and she now ignored all phone calls from her parents.

"Hey guys," Riza said as she entered their room with Rebecca trailing behind her.

"Hey, Riza," Sheska said brightly as the blond girl took a seat at Sheska's desk. Rebecca sat down on the floor next to the heating vent.

"God damn, is it just me or is this place freezing?" Rebecca asked as she huddled by the heater.

Rebecca was bundled up in thick hoodie, which Winry thought she could see the grey of the school sweater poking out from underneath the hood, at least one pair of sweatpants, and probably three pairs of socks, due to the large than normal size of her feet. On her hands he wore a pair of gloves and a hat on her head.

"It's a little chilly," Winry said, noting that she was wrapped up in her warmest, flannel pajama pants along with a long-sleeved shirt and a sweater.

"Rebecca doesn't do cold very well," Riza said with a slight smirk.

"You know, for a school that we pay a shit-load for, they sure are stingy with the heat!"

"I think you're a bit over-dramatic," Gracia said with a roll of her eyes before she blew on a bit of re-heated spaghetti.

"And so what if I am? I'm cold, damn it," Rebecca growled. "And where's your other half, Gracia?"

"Oh, the poor thing, Maes is sick," Gracia said, looking very somber. "He woke up and he was just coughing and sneezing and his forehead was on fire. He's laying downstairs in the nurse's office. He asked me not to see him because he didn't want me to get sick because of him."

Lot's of students were coming down with colds and flues after spending time out in the cold rain. There was a small infirmary in everyone's dorm room, which contained a couple of beds, medicine, and a very harassed nurse. The nurse, who Winry had met when she went down to get some cough medicine on Tuesday, was nice but do to the over-whelming number of students in need of her assistance, she seemed to have very limited patience.

"Do you think the rain will stop tomorrow?" Sheska asked as she peaked out the rain-washed window. "I still haven't finished my English paper and it should have been due today."

"Sheska!" Riza cried in exasperation. "You've been given two extra days where you didn't need to go to that class and you_ still _haven't finished it?"

"Well I was gonna do it last night but I forgot," Sheska said, looking worried. "The conclusion's getting me and I want it to be perfect."

"Well no matter how you write your paper, you still won't be his favorite, Sheska," said a voice from the doorway.

The girls turned to see Roy and Jean standing in the doorway, also layer up against the chilly weather.

"Gracia's Mr. H's favorite after all," Roy said, smirking.

"I am not," Gracia said quietly, flushing.

"Yeah right," Roy said, flopping next to Rebecca in an attempt to warm up; Rebecca quickly shoved him away from her. "Mr. H. is always like, 'look at how wonderful Gracia's paper is' and 'Gracia got the top score on the test_ again_'."

"Maybe you're just jealous because she keeps getting better grades than you," Winry said. "And suddenly getting good grades makes a person their favorite?"

"Well it helps," Jean said with a shrug. "You should hear him in our class, right Sheska? He drops hints all the time that we're a bunch of slack-jawed monkey's compared to a _certain student_ in his honor's class. A certain_ girl_."

Gracia whole body seemed to blush but she turned her head down and began playing with her food.

"It could be anyone," Gracia muttered. "We all get good grades in that class. It could be Riza or Winry or someone else."

"All I'm saying is that Maes better watch out," Roy said, grinning. "There's another man with his eyes on you."

"Yeah, well," Gracia said in an unusually high voice. "I've only got eyes for Maes so he hasn't got a chance with me in a million years."

"Not to mention it's kinda illegal in so many ways," Riza said.

"Yeah and since when have rules and laws applied to us?" Jean asked, grinning.

"Come on, pick up, pick up," Winry muttered as she sat on the stairwell, waiting for the person on the other line to pick up.

After the topic of Mr. Huston had been finished, the group quickly moved back onto the topic of vacation. She sat there for several minutes, pretending to enjoy hearing stories of family outings and traditions, which she was sure she would have actually enjoyed if she had been in a better mood, before she could hardly take it anymore. Winry excused herself by saying she needed some air and ran out into the stairwell. With her phone in hand she dialed the number of the only person she could vent to who wasn't busy chatting about their families.

"_Hel-_lo_?"_

"Paninya!" Winry exclaimed in relief when she heard her friend's voice.

"_Yo what's up, Winry?"_

"Nothing really…" Winry said quietly, picking at a piece of rubber from the bottom of her sneakers. "Just really bummed. And the weather's not helping any."

"_I'm sorry,"_ Paninya said with a sigh_. "I'm guessing you're going to your granny's house for Thanksgiving, right?"_

"Yeah," she sighed into her phone.

"_That sucks. I was really hoping to see you."_

"Same here," Winry muttered, eyes watering slightly. "I just wish I could stay with you or something… just so that I could see you and see my house. I think it would make me feel better."

"_Well… I could always try and take a trip to your Gran's during the break,"_ Paninya offered. _"I mean, we both have the last week off right?"_

"Yeah but, I don't want you to waste your entire vacation in a car just for me."

"_Pff, sounds like a highlight if you ask me,"_ Paninya sighed. _"You know it's not like there's some big family gathering I've got to be to."_

Paninya had been orphaned as a small child after her parents died in a car accident. She had moved to Winry's town three years ago into a new foster home and had moved out the year previously to her own apartment. Winry had forgotten until this moment that her friend had no plans for Thanksgiving, seeing as she had spent the past three at Winry's house.

"Well, I'm sure Granny wouldn't mind," Winry said, thinking about it. I could call her and see what she thinks and then I'd call you back."

"_Sound's like a plan,"_ Paninya said happily before she switched gears_. "So, how is Mission Edward?"_

Winry blushed at her friends comment and regretted, for probably the millionth time, telling her friend about her failed plan to learn about the blond-haired boy by observing him. Winry had stopped trying to do this after a particularly close call one afternoon in East library when she Ed had caught her eyes amidst the spines of books on the bookshelves. She sprinted out of the library before he could investigate further.

"I already told you, Paninya," Winry said, sighing. "I gave that dumb thing up like, two months ago."

"_So? I can still ask how the object of you affection is doing?"_

"I don't know!" Winry growled. "He's fine, I guess. He spends most of his free time in his room or in the library."

"_Hmm, well, you should keep trying to get his attention, Win,"_ Paninya said after a minute. _"Just maybe don't act as stalkery as before, 'kay?"_

Winry rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Yeah because I'm the stalker between the two of us," Winry said sarcastically. "I'm not the one who followed some senior around for all of freshmen year and watched every one of his football practices."

"_I never said you were more or less of a stalker than I was,"_ Paninya said, causing Winry to laugh slightly_. "But seriously, I think if you put some real effort into this guy, he'll eventually become putty in your hand."_

"I think the only way I would be putty in his hands if I transformed into some giant book," Winry said gloomily. "But yeah… everything's worth a second shot."

"_That's the spirit! Now go get him!"_

"Alright," Winry sighed, suppressing a smile. "But I'll go and call Granny and see if you can stay over."

"_Awesome! Talk to you later, Win!"_

"Bye."

"_Buh-bye."_

Smiling slightly, Winry hung up her phone and stuffed her phone into her pajama pocket. Maybe her holiday wouldn't be as bad if Paninya were allowed to stay over at her Grandmother's. It would make her feel more at home. The only thing missing would be her parents…

Winry felt her eyes well up with tears again but quickly tried to surpass them when she heard someone walking up the stairs. She turned around and saw Al walking up towards her, wearing a ridiculously yellow coat that was slick with rain.

"Hey, Al," Winry said, smiling. "Nice rain jacket."

"Thanks," Al said, catching her sarcasm.

"What were you doing outside? I don't think I would go outside if someone paid me."

"Oh well, it's brother's favorite down in the dining hall and I just though it might cheer him up," Al said, motioning to the plastic bags in his hands. "He really hates this kind of weather."

"That's nice of you," Winry said, slightly surprised by his act of kindness. "What'd you get him?"

"Beef stew and apple pie," Al said, smiling. "It doesn't quite tastes like how our mom makes it but he says it's a good second. Anyways, I better get into some dry clothes before I get sick."

"Alright, see ya, Al," Winry said with a wave, a plan forming in her brain.

"Bye, Winry."

She watched Al open the door to their floor and disappear as the door closed. In a few seconds, a plan had formed in Winry's head for a way to get Ed to notice her. Didn't her mother always say that the way through a man's heart was through his stomach?

* * *

Ed curled up on his bunk and flipped the page of the book he was reading. This storm was something of a blessing to him. Having only yesterday morning taken up and being given all of today to do nothing allowed him plenty of time to read. Sure, at the pace he was going, he might have to brave the storm and go to the library but it'd be worth it. A loud shout from out in the hall broke him out of his mindset, which annoyed him greatly. Then again, this storm was something of a curse, seeing as almost every occupant of East dorm was confided inside meant that the ability to read in peace and quiet was non-existence.

But Ed needed to keep working. He needed to keep moving along and looking for a possible cure for his mother; at the very least, he needed to discover a diagnosis. He would never forget the day when he was twelve and he had come home from school with Al and saw his mother passed out on the kitchen floor.

They had called 9-1-1 like they had been taught to and then called their father, who was at work at the time. The doctors had no idea what had caused the collapse or even why Trisha continued to suffer from random collapses along with seizures and unexplained internal pains. No one knew why this was happening to her… this woman who was the nicest person in the entire world.

"Ed?"

Ed looked up over his book and saw Al standing in the doorway, dressed in a bright yellow rain jacket that was dripping all over the floor. In one of his hands was a blue plastic bag, which seemed to contain several plastic and Styrofoam containers.

"Man, you look like drowned rat," Ed commented, smiling lightly. "Or really, a drowned banana."

"Gee thanks," Al said as he tossed the wet coat into the bathroom. "Is that the kind of thing you say to a person who just braved the elements to get you your favorite lunch special?"

Ed's eyes widened and quickly breathed in the scents of cinnamon and beefy broth. His stomach began to growl and his mouth quickly turned into a waterfall. Ed set down his book on his bed, hopped out of bed and rushed over to where his brother had set the containers on their desks.

"You are the best brother ever, Alphonse," Ed sighed as he began opening the several containers that were in the bag.

"Tell me something I don't know," Al said with a smile as he opened his own plastic container of stew and began digging in.

* * *

That night, students all over the campus of Amestris Academy wished and prayed for another day off. Unfortunately for them, they would not get it. The relentless and harsh sleet turned into fluffy and harmless snow flakes overnight, which blanketed the campus in white. The path's were plowed and salted and everyone was expected to be at their classes on time.

Bundled up against the cold, the students left the warm sanctuary of their dormitories and went out into the freezing winter wonderland, thinking that it would at least be warm in their next class.

"Hey, Gracia," Winry said quietly as she sat her things down in a seat next to Gracia in Mr. Huston's class.

"What's up, Winry?" Gracia asked, sitting down next to her.

"I was wondering if you could maybe help me with something."

"Like what?" she asked innocently.

Winry went to open her mouth but was cut off by the arrival of Mr. Huston. His dark hair was covered in snow and he too was bundled up in a thick winter jacket. Like usual, a few girls giggled and called 'good morning' to him.

"Settle down, settle down," he said lazily as he began placing his items on his desk in the front of the room. "Now, I would like to remind everyone that we have about two months left until out midterm exams."

During a great chorus of groans and moans and complaints, Gracia turned to look at Winry and gave her a meaningful look. Winry shook her head and mouthed 'later' before she turned back to Mr. Huston.

The previous night, when she couldn't fall asleep, Winry had begun working on her new plan. Yes, she could possibly make the plan work without help from anyone but for the best results, Winry knew she needed the help of two people. Gracia was a better cook and baker than herself so it would be wise to ask for her help. And as for the other person, well, she'd just have to ask him later when they stood less chance of being overheard.

Before their third period Government class, Gracia attempted to ask Winry again but she shooed her away. Winry decided to wait until their free period together to spring her idea on the brunette. Once safely inside the warm and empty common room of East dormitory, Winry sat Gracia down on one of the comfy couches and revealing her plan.

"What's up?"Gracia asked pleasantly as she brushed some snow out of her hair.

"I need you help," Winry said quickly.

"With what?" she asked, sounding slightly hesitant.

"With Ed."

Gracia raised her eyebrows, looking slightly confused but before she could speak, Winry held up her hands to stop her and began speaking very quickly.

"Listen. So yesterday, I saw Al and he said that the cafeteria had Ed's favorite foods so he went to get him because he was in a bad mood or whatever. And Al said that the cafeteria food was _almost _like their mom's cooking. But like, I was thinking that maybe if I was able to make those foods _better_ than the cafeteria, Ed would possibly like me more or something."

Winry trailed off and turned her eyes to the opposite of the side of the wall, suddenly feeling very silly and stupid. Would it really matter if Winry was able to make the food as well as Ed's mom? And even if she managed to make a decent meal, what would she say?_ 'Oh here, I secretly found out what your favorite foods are and I made them in a petty attempt for you to possibly put down your book for more than five seconds so that you maybe go out with me?' _Winry rolled her eyes at herself and cursed, not quite believing how foolish she had been.

"Never mind," Winry said quickly, standing up. "Forget I ever said anything. It was-"

"Yeah, I'll help you," Gracia said, smiling slightly. "But I think it would help if I knew what I would be helping you make."

Winry stared at the girl for a second before shaking her head in defeat.

"No, really, never mind," Winry said sternly. "It's a dumb plan."

"I think it's a good plan."

"But what would I even say to him when I gave it to him? Huh?" Winry asked, throwing her arms into the air. "I would look like a total stalker to him."

"Hmm…no, I think I can work around that for now," Gracia said, smiling confidently as she stood up too. "But what is it that he likes? I don't know. No one does."

"Well… he apparently like beef stew and apple pie," Winry muttered, still feeling foolish.

"Perfect!" Gracia said, throwing her arms into the air. "I know how to help you _and _make it look completely innocent."

"But… how?" the blond asked.

"Weren't you listening to Ms. Cole in Cooking?" Gracia asked, placing her hands on her hips but kept the smile on her face.

"I probably was at the time…"

"Well for our exam, we have to make something that we've been taught to do, right?" Gracia asked excitedly.

"Yeah…" Winry muttered, not catching on.

"Well, hello! Didn't we make pies like, three weeks ago?"

"Um… yeah, but I still don't quiet get it."

Gracia let out an exasperated noise that made Winry jump slightly.

"We can make an _apple_ pie for the exam and then we can have the other's eat it and make an excuse for why you're giving Ed apple pie!"

Winry blinked, thinking it over, before she smiled and began nodding.

"Yeah but… what about the stew?"

"We don't have time for that now!" Gracia cried exasperatedly. "We can work on making that another time but for right now, we need to get working on the pie."

"Alright but we need to talk to someone else about this."

"Who?"

"Al," Winry answered. "He's the only one who knows how it's supposed to taste like and it won't matter if it doesn't taste right."

"Well… that we can work around. In fact, it's probably better that way because he is in our group after all," Gracia said. "He needs to know what we're making anyhow. But we'll talk to him in Foods or during lunch if we can."

"Right," Winry said, nodding.

"And hopefully, this'll get that bookworm to open his eyes and see the beauty in front of him!" Gracia exclaimed, doing a little dance and causing Winry to blush slightly.

"But… what if it doesn't work?" she asked hesitantly.

"Well that's where we start learning how to make stew!"

* * *

"So…_you _want _me_ to help _you_ get _my brother_ to like_ you_?" Al asked slowly as he leaned against the counter of their kitchen in the Home Economics room.

"Well… yes," Winry answered in a hushed voice, feeling stupid again. "And don't talk to loud!"

"Sorry," Al apologized.

"But will you help?"

"Well… I don't know how much it'll help, seeing how oblivious my brother is," Al muttered. "But I mean, why not? If nothing else, you can learn how to make an amazing apple pie."

"Thanks, Al," Winry said before she hugged the sandy-haired teen tightly.

"No problem," he sighed.

Winry broke away when Ms. Cole came bursting into the room, informing them all of what today's plan would be. Al listened with rapt attention, not wanting to mess up any of the instructions again. He wasn't the best cook in the class and he constantly had to be told what to do and how to do it. Today they were making a spaghetti dinner and Al was bent on getting every instruction right.

"Get started!" Ms. Cole yelled. "You have forty minutes before you need to start cleaning up."

"Okay so, Maria, I need you to get the pasta and boil it in a medium sized pot," Gracia ordered as she read the instructions from the cook book; Gracia was usually the one in charge in their group. "And Al and Mei, can you get the ingredients out for the meatballs?"

Al followed Mei across the room to where their needed supplies were. He looked up at the board again to see the listed ingredients and quickly reached for the onions at the same time as Mei did. Their hands bumped and the onion rolled onto the floor.

"Sorry," Al said as he bent down to reach the fallen vegetable. "I keep having trouble with this class."

When Al stood up again, he saw Mei's face, bright red and her large dark eyes seemed to be twinkling at him. But it was probably just the trick of the light, right? He stood there for a second, looking at the small girl, and realized a few seconds too late that he was staring at Mei longer than needed.

"Okay so what else do we need?" Al muttered as he quickly turned away, feeling odd as Mei continued to stare at him. "Uh, we need garlic. Right."

The two quickly gathered up the supplies they needed and moved back to their station. As the group worked on the meal Al tried to shake off the odd feeling he had got before but it didn't seem to want to leave him.

* * *

**So Winry's coming up with a plan of attack. Should be interesting. :P**

**More teenaged drama happening next! Please send a review my way!**

**Thanks for reading! :D**

**-FSK**


	21. Apple Pies and Confused Feelings

**Hey everyone... uh, sorry about not updating but well, that's NaNoWriMo for you. By the way, both me and my wonderful editor, Dani, finished NaNo this year! :D You can check out my story info through the link on my profile page if you're bored.**

**Anywho, time for some awesome teen drama! Seriously, this was like, one of my favorite chapters to have written for this story and I've had this written since probably sometime in October and I'm glad you guys finally get to read it.**

**Hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

"Come on, Al, just one more bite," Winry pleaded, coaxing another freshly baked pie towards the teen's face.

"Oh god no," Al groaned as he covered his mouth, looking like he was about to vomit any minute now. "I don't think I can."

"Just _one more_," Winry repeated as she broke off a piece of pie with a fork and placed it in front of Al's face. "Please?"

Al quickly sprung up from this seat in the Home Economics class and ran over to a sink, where he began breathing deeply, as if trying to prevent throwing up the last four pies Winry and Gracia had been trying to shove down his throat for the past few hours.

"They all taste the same to me," Winry muttered as she took a bite of the fifth pie the two girls had made that night.

"I don't know, this one tastes a little sweeter," Gracia commented as she took a bite of her own slice. "You did say the last one wasn't quite sweet enough, right, Al?" Gracia asked, looking over at the shaking figure across the room.

"Yeah…" Al panted as he moved away from the sink. "But I don't know if I'm gonna be able to keep another bite down."

"Well we're not asking you to keep it down," Winry said snappily. "We're just asking you to taste it. Come here."

"Ugh…"

For the past week and a half, the two girls and the one boy had been coming to the Home Ec. room after school and had been trying to twist the apple pie recipe so that it tasted like Ed and Al's mother's pie. Unfortunately, nothing the two girls seemed to be doing was right. Their fillings had been too sweet and not sweet enough, the apples were always too hard or too soft, and the crust had been too thin, too thick, over done, and underdone. Winry had been close to throwing in the towel several times but she kept pressing on, even if she still felt rather foolish at times.

Al walked over to the two girls like he was walking to the gallows and opened his mouth as if he had just stuck his head through a loop of rope. Winry and Gracia waited with bated breath as they watched Al chew the bite slowly.

"Hmm… still not perfect," Al declared, causing their faces to fall. "But it's probably just sweet enough now."

"Well at least it's something," Winry sighed as she took a bite of the pie.

"Yeah but we should probably be getting back to the dorms now," Gracia said, looking at the clock that hung on the wall; it was almost nine o'clock at night and it was a school night.

"We just need to get all of this in the dish washer," Al said as he began rinsing a dirty bowl.

The three teens cleaned up the area as quickly as possible before they left the room and locked it behind them like Ms. Cole had instructed them to. Gracia said goodbye to them as the left the building and started heading towards the doors of Central dorm. Al and Winry walked through the thick piles of unplowed snow until they had reached the path and began walking towards their dorm.

"So, do you think we'll ever get close to your mother's recipe? Or are we just hopeless?" Winry asked as she watched for any hidden ice patches on the path.

"Well you're already close to getting it right," Al said brightly. "So I wouldn't throw in the dish towel now."

"Ha, ha," Winry laughed dryly before she wrapped her scarf tighter around her face and continued walking towards the bright, welcoming lights of her dorm and thinking of nothing except a nice hot shower.

* * *

"Hey, Riza?" Winry said a half an hour later, as she poked her head into her friend's room.

She had expected to see the room in its usual state of semi-neatness but instead Winry found the room in a state of total and utter chaos. Items of clothing were thrown everywhere, suitcases lay about the room, half packed, and school work was everywhere except for where it out to be. Rebecca sat in the center of the mess as she began stuffing some of her own things into boxes and suitcases. Riza sat on her bed, glaring daggers at the girl as she continued to tear up their shared room.

"Um, Riza?" Winry asked again.

"Oh, hello, Winry," Riza said stiffly as she got up from her seat on her bed and proceeded to walk towards the door, not caring what she stepped on. "What's up?"

"Um…" Winry muttered, smiling slightly despite the anger and annoyance that was radiating off of Riza. "What's going on here?"

"Packing!" Rebecca chirped happily, seemingly oblivious to her friend's annoyance.

"Rebecca just got a call from her mother that she better be ready to be picked up Friday night," Riza answered. "And she has yet to pack a single thing before that."

"Oh."

Friday was the last day for class before school let out for their weeklong Thanksgiving vacation. For the past week, students had been scrambling to locate missing items that they needed during the break and it was not strange at all to see items being flung out of open doors while students moved about their rooms crazily. Winry would be taking a taxi to the airport Saturday afternoon and would arrive at her grandmother's by nightfall.

"Let's get out of here," Riza said, shaking her head and snapping the door closed behind her. Riza turned and began walking towards the stairs. "She's driving me nuts. I don't know why she does this! Every year she goes and freaks out like the school springs the vacation dates on her."

Riza pushed through the door that lead to the chilly stairwell and leaned against the opposite wall with a huff. Winry sat down on the steps a few feet away from her.

"When are you leaving?" Riza asked.

"Oh, um, Saturday," Winry said with a nod. "I think I have to be there around two; I'll have to check again. I have to call a taxi here."

"You know, I think Roy and Jean have to be at the airport around that time," Riza said, creasing her forehead with concentration. "I bet you could just hitch a ride with them and then you could split the taxi."

"Oh, that would be great," Winry exclaimed. "I'll have to go ask them. When are you leaving? You live right around here, right?"

"Yeah," Riza muttered, turning her focus to the ground. "It's like, an hour drive from here."

"Is your grandfather going with you?" Winry asked innocently.

Riza's head sprang up and her amber eyes seemed to pop slightly out of her head. She made a loud shushing noise as she stamped over to where Winry sat, looking slightly alarmed.

"Be quiet when you say things like that!" Riza hissed, peering over the railing to see if anyone was coming up the stairs. "People can hear that kind of thing up here!"

"Sorry!" Winry squeaked, remembering now that Grumman had said that Riza didn't want people to know about their relationship. "I-I forgot!"

"It's alright," Riza said, returning to her calm demeanor. "Just try not to do that again. Especially when we're around the others."

"Right." Winry nodded. "But what _are_ you doing?"

"It'll be just me and my dad back home," Riza said not meeting Winry's eyes. "My father and… _grandfather_," Riza momentarily lowered her voice before returning it to full volume, "have never seen eye-to-eye and it's all for the best that they don't see each other."

"Oh. So… do you and your father get along?"

"Not really," Riza stated boldly. "It's one of the reasons why I came to the school in the first place."

"Oh," Winry muttered, suddenly feeling like maybe her holidays wouldn't be so bad. "So when were you leaving again?"

"Saturday night."

Winry watched the other blond for a second, whose head was down, staring at the ground again. Riza usually seemed so tough and mature but now she looked more like a lonely and slightly miserable child. Winry hadn't really asked much of Riza's home life because it never seemed to come up. She had known that she lived with her father and had no other family but nothing else. Winry suddenly felt embarrassed for the way she had been acting for the past week. At least she had a welcoming home to go to with someone who genially liked her.

"What did you want to ask me about again?" Riza asked suddenly, returning Winry's gaze and seeming back to her normal self again.

"Oh, right. Uh, I wanted to ask you a question on that Pre-Calc homework."

"Alright," Riza said, nodding. "Let's go look at in your room. I'm sure mine's still a disaster area."

* * *

"Why are teachers assigning homework now?" Jean cried as he slammed down one of his textbooks down on one of the many tables in the library. One of the librarians gave him a reproached look for using such a loud voice in the library; Jean ignored her. "I mean, come on! We've got two days of class left and then we're gone for a week. Do they really expect us to remember stuff that they just taught?"

"Yes they do," Al said in a quieter voice as he set down his Algebra book down on the same table and sat down. "And it's not like we're gone for that long."

"Well you're forgetting that Havoc has the memory of a gold fish and can hardly remember his schedule, let alone how to add numbers together," Rebecca said acidly as she took the seat farthest away from Jean.

Jean glared at Rebecca and opened his mouth to say something, probably an insult, but was cut off when Russell held a book in front of Jean's face and pushed him away from the girl.

"You two better behave or I'm not going to help you two ever again," Russell warned as he began pulling out his own books and notes.

Al and Russell were holding another one of their impromptu study sessions with Rebecca and Jean for their Algebra II class. Al and Russell had held many of the sessions throughout the past few months but they were always difficult due to Rebecca and Jean's bickering. Unfortunately for the two blonds, the bickering seemed to have reached an all time high in the past month and it was a miracle if there could be more than a few minutes were there was not a single sarcastic or callus comment passed between the two Juniors. Russell had claimed that he was quitting four times already but always seemed to come back. Al tried to stick out the fighting for the sake of his friends passing the class.

"So like Mr. Meehan was saying in class today," Al started off as he took out his notes from today's lesson, "imaginary numbers are the numbers that come from a negative square root. To solve this-"

"Do you know what else is imaginary?" Rebecca asked loudly as she twirled her pencil like a baton in between her fingers.

"Rebecca-," Al began.

"Havoc's brain," she answered simply.

Jean clenched his jaw and glared at the girl. Al could sense trouble brewing and quickly tried to stop it.

"Now guys-"

"You know what's _not_ imaginary?" Jean asked, voice rising slightly, gaining the attention of some other students.

"Jean don't you start too-"

"The fact that you're a total bitch."

"Ooh, that's creative," Rebecca countered, rolling her eyes. "Did you get that one from your little boyfriend Mustang?"

"No I heard it from someone else," Jean said before he put on a face of mock concentration. "I think it was your mother."

"Oh _really?_" Rebecca asked, rising up from her seat and slamming her hands on the table.

"Yeah," Jean said as he copied Rebecca and rose from his own seat. "I think she told me the other night after I banged her brains out."

Rebecca threw her head back and laughed derisively, gaining the attention of everyone in the entire library, including the librarians.

"Like you've ever gotten further than first base with a girl, you little virgin," Rebecca sneered.

"Oh really?" Jean asked, drawing himself up to full height. "You think I haven't gotten past first base with a girl?"

Rebecca's cynical expression suddenly faulted slightly but Jean continued to plow on, ignoring everyone that now surrounded them. Al watched with extreme apprehension as Jean gave off the air of someone who was about to drop a metaphorical bomb on them all.

"Because maybe you should put down the bottle for more than a minute and remember what happened on Halloween, you dumb harpy," Jean yelled, face so twisted that Al could hardly even recognize him anymore. "And as I remember it, you liked it! So what have you got to say to that?"

Rebecca, with her face the color of bricks, continued to stand tall and strong for a few moments after the bomb had been dropped before she grabbed Jean's things and threw them onto the ground. She then grabbed Jean's upper arms and brought her knee quickly upwards into the vicinity of his groin. Jean crumpled to the ground and Rebecca ran from the library as librarians called after her. Students rushed forwards to get a better look at the gasping teen but no one even attempted to help.

"Can you guys just give him some space?" Al growled to the students who were staring with fascination, some even pulling out their phones to take pictures of the scene.

Grumbling, most of the students went back to whatever they were doing beforehand, leaving the three boys alone.

"Thanks for the help," Al said sarcastically to Russell, who had continued sitting in his seat for the whole altercation.

"Hey, that thing was like a gas fire," Russell said, head resting in a hand. "You just gotta let it burn out. Not to mention it was funny as hell to watch."

"N-not… so… funny," Jean gasped from his fetal position on the ground.

"Well, I think we should get out of here," Russell commented as he looked at the many librarians, who were glaring at them for being loud.

"Yeah," Al muttered, thinking of how he though he heard a sob as Rebecca left the library. Al shook his head and tried to help Jean up. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

"God damn that bitch," Jean groaned twenty minutes later as he sat in his dorm room with an ice-tray on his groin. "I swear she had a metal plate in her knee or something."

"Well maybe you shouldn't have said that," Al said, shaking his head. "You_ knew _she would do something bad to you and yet you kept going."

"She started it man!" Jean cried. "What was I supposed to do? Ignore her?"

"Yes!" Al exclaimed in exasperation. "That is _exactly_ what you should have done!"

"Yeah like he would have done that," Roy said, grinning. He had barely stopped laughing ever since Jean had been helped into the room five minutes ago. "You know, you should do it again so that I can see it in person."

"What exactly were you fighting about anyways?" Maes asked from his bed, looking away from his homework.

Jean's face paled slightly and he shrugged quickly. For reasons Al was still not sure off, Jean had chose to omit what had really caused Rebecca to knee him in the crotch; Al would have to remember to ask him again but he was pretty sure he knew what had happened already.

"Nothing really," Jean said. "She just starts shit to get a rise out of me."

"Well hasn't she always done that?" Maes asked. "And I remember her doing _that _every time you fight. Are you sure you didn't say or do something to piss her off?"

"Not that I can think off," Jean said quickly. "She's probably just PMS-ing or something and is taking it out on me."

There was a quick urgent knock at the door and before anyone said the person could come in, the door burst open to reveal Riza, eyes sharp and filled with fury. Everyone flinched and there was a pregnant pause while the boys waited to see who the victim was.

"Havoc," Riza growled in a deadly voice. "I need to speak to you. _Now._"

Maes, Roy, and Al breathed a small sigh of relief while Jean gulped and looked as if he were a mouse about to snatched up and eaten by a giant hawk. He let out a breath and tried to grin but it came out more of a grimace.

"You know I would but I'm kinda stuck here for the moment," Jean said, voice shaking ever so slightly. "So maybe a rain check-"

"_Now_," Riza barked before she stepped forwards and gripped onto the front of Jean's shirt and began pulling him up with unimaginable strength.

"Okay, okay_, okay_!" Jean exclaimed as he got up as quickly as he could. "I'm getting up! You can let go of me now!"

But Riza didn't let go. Instead, she began pulling him out of the room and down the hall. Many students peered their heads out of their rooms and watched the spectacle as Jean was dragged by someone half his size and looking quite pitiful.

"What's up, Riza?" Sheska asked as Riza passed by the girls room but Riza didn't answer.

Riza pushed open the door that led to the stairwell but she didn't stop there. Ignoring Jean's sputtering and attempts to pull out of Riza's grip, she continued on passed the fourth floor (1) and up onto the roof. The last time they had been on the roof was on the last day of summer. Then, the ground had been hot to the touch and the sun beat down on them. Now, the ground was covered in a few feet of snow and ice and the wind was so bitter cold that it was like tiny knives cutting into a person's skin. Riza pushed Jean out of the way and jammed the piece of brick in the doorway so that they wouldn't be locked out before she turned to Jean.

"What-" he began before he was cut of by Riza's hand hitting his frozen face.

Riza had hit him so hard that he stumbled slightly and ended up falling into a pile of snow.

"What the hell was that for?" Jean cried, shaking from the cold.

"What did you have to say that for, huh?" Riza yelled, glaring at Jean, who looked slightly dazed. "Why'd you have to say that in front of _everyone_?"

Jean closed his mouth and turned away from Riza's burning stare, deciding not to speak.

"Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?" Riza barked. When she got no answer, he bent down and hit him again. "_Answer me!"_

Jean turned to look at Riza, face set, and waited a minute before he spoke.

"I don't see what the problem is here! She fucking started it! Why is she the victim here?"

"It doesn't matter who started it, Jean! What matters is that you took it _way _too far!"

"Well so did she!" Jean stuttered defensively.

"Oh really?" Riza growled, putting her hands on her hips. "What could she have possibly said that warranted you to say that?"

"Well she said… she said," Jean mumbled before bringing his head down and saying something so quiet that Riza couldn't hear over the roar of the wind.

"What?"

"She said I'm a virgin," Jean said, going red.

Riza stared at him, blinking her eyes a few times in astonishment, before she exploded on him again.

"Well aren't you?" Riza screeched.

"So let me get this straight, it's okay if _she _says truths_ I _don't want to hear but it's not okay if _I _say truths _she_ doesn't want to hear?" Jean asked incredulously.

"No," Riza continued. "You shouldn't have said what you did because it was something personal! And don't you start!" Riza added when Jean opened his mouth to counter back. "Yes, it wasn't exactly nice for her to say that but Jean you're _sixteen_. You're _supposed_ to be a virgin!"

"Yeah b-but it's still not something I like to be broadcasted across the school!" Jean stuttered, voice cracking.

"And I'm sure Rebecca didn't want what you said broadcasted across the school either!"

Jean opened his mouth but closed it after a second thought and hung his head.

"I want you to go down there and apologize to her," Riza growled in a deadly quiet voice as she pointed towards the metal door behind them. "Right now."

"What? She'll kill me! And what's an apology gonna do? It won't matter to her!"

"Well if you ever want to be friends with us, and by us, I mean the girls, again, you better at least attempt to apologize," Riza growled. "Because you don't want to be on our bad side, trust me."

And with that, Riza left, pausing momentarily only to decide whether or not she should let the door close behind her. Jean continued to lay in the snow for a moment before he pushed himself up and ran inside. He let his mind wander for a moment, thinking what might happen if he didn't apologize and quickly decided that maybe it would be best to just suck up his pride and do it.

"Don't know why she even cares," Jean grumbled as he tried to warm himself up. "It's not like she likes me or anything."

* * *

"You know I think that if looks could kill, you'd be dead right now, man," Roy said wisely to Jean as they ate their lunch Friday afternoon. A table over, Sheska, Winry, Gracia, and Riza sat, eating their food away from the boys. All of the girls continued to shoot dirty looks at the blond throughout the lunch but none were as deadly as Riza's. She hardly moved her gaze anywhere but Jean; she didn't even pay attention to what she was eating. "You really should just go and apologize."

"I've tried to!" Jean exclaimed, looking back at the table of girls. "But I can never get to her! It's not my fault if she won't let me apologize to her."

"Well can you maybe try harder?" Maes asked, looking positively miserable, his upper body splayed over the table and his eyes staring at his girlfriend. "I don't know what I'll do if we have to stay separated much longer."

After Riza warning two nights before and Jean's first failed attempt to make peace with Rebecca, Jean realized he had to tell the others what had happened, seeing as they were sure to figure out soon. Roy had been stuck in a mix of shock and disgust for a few hours but had soon forgiven him but that didn't stop him from teasing him on occasion.

While Jean tried and failed to apologize to Rebecca, the group had taken sides: the girls with Rebecca; Roy and Maes with Jean; Ed, Al, Russell, and Fletcher staying impartial. The two taking the spilt the hardest, it seemed, were Maes and Gracia. Whenever the three sides were together but forced to be apart, the two spent most of the time sending sappy expressions and even sappier text messages to each other. Right now, Gracia was looking extremely torn as he boyfriend looked as if he were on the brink of death but she shook her head and turned away, looking equally as miserable.

"I am trying!" Jean cried. "I went to her class last period during my free time and tried to talk to her but I couldn't! She was in math this morning but she just ignored me no matter what I did!"

"Why don't you skip next period and try then?" Ed suggested as he sat down at the table, not caring if it looked like he was picking sides. "It's just gym. She has a free period next so she'll probably be in her room."

"And what if she's not?" Jean asked. "She's leaving tonight."

Maes suddenly sprung up and turned to Jean, looking absolutely desperate.

"You've gotta apologize, Jean!" Maes cried. "If you don't… well, I don't know when I'll be able to be with my Gracia freely ever again!"

"Why don't you just go sit with her now?" Ed asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "This isn't your battle so why get into it?"

Doing as Ed suggested, Jean skipped his gym class after lunch and went back to East dorm, hoping that Rebecca would be there. But after knocking on her door for a good five minutes without receiving an answer, Jean decided he'd just have to wait until later. As he turned to leave however, he saw none other than Rebecca, walking down the hall, oblivious to who was in front of her. In her ears were a pair of purple ear-buds and in one hand was her iPod, under her other arm was a basket of laundry. She only realized he was there once she was a foot away from the door.

"Hey," Jean said sheepishly.

Rebecca's face was blank for a minute but then she glared at him and begun to fish her room key out of her pocket. Jean jumped in front of the door before she could get inside.

"Let me in!" Rebecca snarled.

"No. Listen, I'm sorry okay?" Jean attempted as Rebecca tried to shove him out of the way. "Really I am!"

"No you're not, you liar," she growled as she struggled against him.

"Well, I mean, I do kinda feel bad about what I said but it's not like anyone cared," Jean said quickly. "Because really, I haven't heard anything about it. Well, I mean, I here people talking about you kneeing me in the nuts," Rebecca grinned momentarily, "but nothing about what I said. So what's the big deal?"

Rebecca stopped her fighting for a minute, thinking, before she backed up a step and put on a blasé expression.

"It doesn't matter," Rebecca said, her voice oddly calm though slightly too fast to be considered normal. "I really don't care if the whole _world_ knows about that."

"Well then why are you making me jump through hoops so that I can freaking apologize to you when you don't even care?" Jean barked.

Rebecca looked down and readjusted her laundry basket for a second before she looked down the hall, rolled her eyes, and then turned back to look at Jean.

"Well you just said it didn't you?" she asked cryptically after a long pause.

"Huh?"

"Well… I mean, it's pretty fun to make a boy sweat and watch him swallow his pride," she said, grinning evilly. "It was all worth a good laugh, watching you flounder around as you tried to apologize to me."

Jean's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged in indignation. He sputtered about for a minute before he managed to string words together.

"Y-you mean you… you were just playing me?"

"'Fraid so," Rebecca replied, twisting a finger around one of her ear-bud cords. "Now I'll go tell Riza you apologized and everyone will be happy, okay? Now if you don't mind, I kinda need to get into my room so I can finish packing. My mom will be here tonight to get me."

Jean allowed Rebecca to push him out of the way and continued to gape as she hummed along to a song and opened her door. Rebecca turned around and grinned slightly before she took a step inside and closed the door behind her.

"Y-You're nuts, you know that!" Jean yelled at her through the door. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Rebecca stood with her back against the door of her room, listening to both her music and the noises of Jean's heavy footsteps before they disappeared down the stairwell. She continued to stand and stare into space for a moment as she pondered what Jean had shouted at her.

"_What the hell is wrong with you?"_

"I wish I knew."

* * *

**(1) I stated in the first few chapters that the dorm buildings were only three stories high but then I changed it to four. I'm sure so many of you woudl have noticed if I did not point it out but, whatever. :P  
**

**I LOVE writing HavBec. It's definitely my favorite unofficial couple and if they were cannon, it would probably be my favorite. I can't believe it took my this long to get some HavBec action going in my fanfics. :P But I drew a picture for this chapter and I'll have a link up on my profile so you can all see it.**

**So hopefully, I'll be able to updated chapter 22 sooner than this. I'm pretty sure I will be able to but I don't want to promise and then not do it. :P**

**For everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving, hope you all had a good one. :)**

**-FSK  
**


	22. Home for the Holidays

**Hello everyone! Happy holidays!**

**So I actually updated within a reasonable amount of time for once. :P Thank you, my always helpful editor Dani, for helping me with yet another chapter! :D**

**Time for this kids to leave for the holidays!**

* * *

"Hey, Winry, are you ready yet? The cab's gonna be here in a minute."

Winry looked up from where she sat on the floor of her dorm room as she double checked her bags and saw Jean and Roy standing in the doorway, bags at their sides. She would be leaving for the airport with the two boys in a matter of moments. Winry gave her last bag a final zip and smiled.

"All done."

Winry got up from the ground and walked over to her bed, where Riza, Gracia, and Maes sat. They were the remaining friends who hadn't left the academy yet. Gracia and Maes's parents would be here to pick them up within the hour and Riza would be leaving once she called a cab to come pick her up.

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you in a week," Winry said, feeling slightly sad about leaving her friends, even if it was for such a short time.

"Call me as soon as you get off the plane," Gracia said, standing up to hug her friend. "Even though I'll probably still be on the plane, but, oh well."

"I'll try," Winry said with a nod.

"See you, kid," Maes said, ruffling her hair.

"Bye, Win," Riza said, smiling. "I hope you have a good holiday."

"You too."

"Alright, alright," Jean said, rolling his eyes. "It's not like we're not going to see each other ever again. We've got plains to catch!"

"Right," Winry said, as she grabbed her two pieces of luggage.

The three teens followed Winry out of the room and allowed her to lock it before they walked them out of the building. With a final wave, Winry walked out of East dorm and out into the cold.

* * *

"Edward," said a soft voice.

"Mnnnh," Ed mumbled as he curled deeper into his bedding.

Someone was touching him, bothering him in his sleep. Soft hands were moving his hair from his face and then the same hands would caress his face. Ed tried to brush away the attention by burying his face in one of his pillows but that didn't stop the person. They took a lock of his hair and brushed the tip of it on his neck, tickling him.

"Stop it," Ed groaned, lifting a hand in an attempt to stop the person. "I'm sleeping."

The person, presumable a girl by the voice, laugh quietly.

"You've been sleeping all day, sweetheart," she said. "You need to get up."

Confusion washed over Edward as he tried to think. The voice didn't sound like it was a dream but who was it. The voice sounded much more mature than anyone in his dorm and it definitely didn't sound like any of his female friends. Both worried and confused, Ed pried open his eyes and was instantly disoriented.

Expecting to see the white walls of his dorm he saw instead black and red stripped wallpaper along with several bookshelves, which were filled to the brim with books. Ed shook his head and turned to see who was waking him up when he was so very tired.

"Morning," Trisha Elric said sweetly as she brushed some more hair away from Ed's stunned face. "Or really, good afternoon."

Memories flew back to Ed in an instant. After classes and dinner yesterday, Ed and Al had taken a taxi to the airport so that they could fly home. Unfortunately, their flight had been delayed due to the weather and had arrived home three hours later than previously expected to. At three in the morning, Ed and Al got a taxi to take them home where they collapsed and quickly fell asleep. Ed turned and looked for his alarm clock but when he saw it wasn't there, he realized it was probably still packed in one of his bags. Ed quickly sat up and took in his mother's appearance.

Her long, chocolate brown hair was tied back like usual and her warm green eyes looked wide and awake. Her skin color was a healthy peach and she seemed perfectly alert.

"Are you alright, mom?" Ed asked, pushing his messy hair away from his face.

"Don't I look alright?" she asked, still smiling, before she wrapped her arms around her son and hugged him tightly.

Edward let his mother stroke his hair and kiss his forehead, secretly enjoying the affection that he so rarely got. He took a deep breath and got a whiff of his mother's flowery shampoo, which caused him to let out a small sigh of relief.

"I miss my little man," Trisha said fondly, making Ed blush slightly.

"_Mom_…" he muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed. Sure, no one was around to hear his mother's old pet-name for him but it was still kind of embarrassing as he was no longer little.

"Oh, sorry," she said, letting him out of the hug but keeping her hands on each of Ed's shoulders. "I forget you don't like it when I call you that."

"Well I mean… you can keep calling me that," Ed muttered, suddenly feeling stupid for making a deal about the name; every parent had some silly name for their kid, right?

"Okay so if any of your little friends comes over I have free reign to call you 'little man' all the time?" she asked, smiling.

Ed's face fell into a scowl as he imagined what would happen if Roy Mustang found out that he was called 'little man' by his mother. Trisha laughed lightly again before staring thoughtfully at him.

"You look more and more like your father with every day," she said, causing Ed to scowl more. "Oh don't make that face. It's not like it's a bad thing."

Edward bit his tongue and thought of how Al was lucky he looked like his mother, who had to be the best person in the world, while he looked like his father, who, in Ed's opinion, was the worst.

"Come on now," Trisha said, tapping Ed's check with one of her fingers. "I've got some breakfast left for you that I've warmed up. I'm sure you're starving."

Ed's stomach gave an almighty grumble, causing his mother to smile sweetly before she left his room. Ed got up from his bed and followed his mother down to the kitchen, feeling better than he had in a long time.

* * *

"Come on now, Gracia, we have to go," Gracia's father said sternly, clearly disliking the scene in front of him.

"I know," Gracia said, her voice muffled due to the fact that it was buried in her boyfriend's chest as she hugged him goodbye. "I'll miss you," she added for the millionth time that day to Maes, who had his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"I'll miss you too," Maes said, squeezing his girlfriend once more.

"I'll call you when we get to the airport," Gracia said, bringing her head up so that she could look at Maes.

"And I'll call you when my parent's pick me up."

"And I'll text you before my plane leaves."

"And I'll text you before _my_ plane leaves."

"And I'll call you as soon as I get home."

"And I'll call you as soon as I possibly can."

"And -"

"Oh aren't you two done yet?" Gracia's father asked impatiently. "We've got a plane to catch."

"Oh let them be, Howard," Gracia's mother said, who looked close to tears at the scene before her.

"We need to be there in an hour and traffic is bad this time of day!"

"We've got another minute for them to say their goodbyes," she said, pulling her husband from the room before turning to Gracia. "We do need to get going soon, honey."

"Of course," Gracia said with a nod.

The second the door closed, the two teens kissed passionately and only stopped when there was a loud knock on the door, telling them that they needed to get going. Gracia pulled out of Maes's grasp but continued to hold his hands.

"It's only a week," she said, smiling slightly.

"I know," Maes pouted.

"I'll call you everyday," she promised.

"And I'll pick up everyday," Maes promised, sighing.

Gracia popped onto her tiptoes and kissed Maes again.

"_Gracia!_"

"Coming!" Gracia called back, moving away from Maes.

Gracia gripped his hand and together they left the room. Once she locked the door behind her, Maes hugged her tightly, much to the annoyance of her father, and let go.

"Bye," she said, waving sadly as her father led her away.

"Bye!" Maes called after her. "I love you!"

"I love you too," she said, smiling despite the look on her father's face.

Once in the safety of the elevator, Gracia's father went into his usual diatribe about Maes and their relationship.

"_So_," he said, glaring at the elevator door. "You're saying the _L-word_ now, are you?"

"Dad," Gracia sighed. "We've been dating for almost two years now; _of course_ we're saying it. What's wrong with that?"

"I just don't think people your age should be throwing around such a loaded word," he said stiffly. "Which one of you said it first? I bet it was him. That… _boy_. Heh, well, boys like that only want one thing and one thing only and as long as I'm alive, he won't be doing that!"

"Dad," Gracia groaned, going red. "Maes is not some asshole who just wants to get laid. And for your information, I said it first."

"Well do you know what happens when sweet, innocent girls say the L-word to boys?"

"They possibly fall happily in love and maybe even get married someday?" Gracia said with a roll of her eyes.

"No! They get pregnant at seventeen and then they wash away their entire futures!"

Gracia groaned and rubbed her temples. If there was one thing she hated about being home it was the fact that her father had never approved of Maes. No matter what he did or what she told him, he never would get over the idea that all teenage boys are perverted scoundrels who'll do anything to steal a girls innocence. Gracia stepped out of the elevator and tried to stay a step ahead of her father.

"I'm not gonna get pregnant, dad," Gracia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Not for a long time."

"How long?" he asked in an accusatory tone.

"I happen to think Maes is a very nice boy," Gracia's mother said, smiling at her husband. "Definitely better than that boy Mrs. Jones's daughter has been seen going out with. Piercings _everywhere_. Oh, and Gracia, you'll never guess what Mrs. Collins daughter, Lisa, did the other-"

"Pff, he's a charmer that one," he said cutting off his wife, shaking his finger madly. "He's got all women wrapped around his fingers! He's a snake hidden inside of a puppy. He's the worst of them all."

"Or maybe he's the best and you're just the worst," Gracia muttered under her breath.

"What was that, young lady?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Yes well, I still do not approve of him and if I had it my way, you would not be going anywhere near him."

"Yes and if you had everything your way, I would also be in a convent, reading bibles all day and never wearing anything that exposed an ankle or wrist but unfortunately, we can't always have it our way."

Gracia's father continued to grumble all the way to the airport while Gracia and her mother chatted happily, both careful not to mention Maes again.

* * *

"_Now boarding: flight 190 to Richmond, Virginia. Now boarding."_

Winry looked up at the ceiling of the busy airport terminal and sighed. Sitting next to her were Roy and Jean, whose plane didn't leave for another hour.

"I guess I better get going," Winry said heavily, shouldering her bag.

"We'll see ya in a week," Jean said, hugging her quickly.

"Hope your holiday doesn't suck too much," Roy said, smiling slightly.

"Gee thanks," Winry said with a roll of her eyes. "Same to you."

"See ya."

"Bye," she said with a wave before she turned and began walking away.

Some time later, Winry was in her seat on the plane, waiting for takeoff. She sat by the window and as she stared out it, she thought of her parents. And how they were thousands of miles away and how when she got off the plane, she wouldn't be home but at her grandmothers. She thought about how last Thanksgiving and every Thanksgiving that she could remember, her father had carved the turkey that her mother had cooked herself and how Winry had helped her mother make the sides while watching the Macy's Day parade on the television in the living room.

Winry remembered Thanksgiving when she was seven and her grandmother's dog, Den, had jumped onto the table half-way through dinner and ran away with the remainder of the turkey in her mouth. Winry remembered how on her thirteenth Thanksgiving, she had invited Paninya over because she had no family and her parents loved her and it then became another tradition to invite her over for the day, along with any other major holiday.

And before Winry knew what was happening, she was crying. The tears that ran down her face seemed to increase in numbers with every passing second that she tried to stop and then the next moment, she was sobbing into her backpack, not even caring who was looking. She didn't care because after so many perfect Thanksgivings, this would be the first truly imperfect one and there wasn't anything she could do about it. This year would truly be wrong because her mother wouldn't cook the turkey, but her grandmother, and not her father would carve the bird, and they wouldn't be using the china her parents had gotten when they got married. After another thought, Winry cried harder when she realized that next month she would go through this all over again when Christmas came along and things would be very different again. And Winry was so upset that she said all of this to the one stewardess who took pity on her and went to check on her.

"I'll get you something to drink as soon as I can, alright?" she said kindly, handing Winry a napkin to wipe her face on.

Winry nodded along before she curled up in her seat and closed her eyes, willing herself to believe that when she got off the plane, she would be home with her parents waiting for her.

* * *

Riza let out a sigh as she walked around the near-empty dorm building. Almost all of the students had left for home already and those who were still there at the academy were only a handful of hours from leaving so that they could return home. Riza, however, would not be. She would be doing what she always did every holiday since she came to Amestris Academy, which was staying there. None of her friends knew this. None of them knew that on Thanksgiving, she would be not at her own house, as she had been telling her friends for years, but sitting at her grandfathers while his staff cooked them a brilliant feast that was more befitting for a magnificent gathering instead of what it really was, which was a sad attempt at keeping a weak familial bond alive. Riza would then return to the school because she didn't want to impose on her grandfather.

No matter what they tried, Riza always felt awkward around her grandfather, feeling as if everything she did was wrong or forced. Maybe it was because instead of having a grandfather around for an entire life like most kids, she had met him she was eleven.

Riza remembered that day quite clearly, mainly because it was the day of her mother's funeral. She had been sick for most of Riza's life so her death had not come to much of a surprise but for some reason, Riza was in a state of shock as she and her father rode quietly to the cemetery. There were no comforting words nor were there any comforting gestures. Just her and her father, staring into space and sitting as far apart as possible. When they had arrived at the cemetery, she was shocked to find that there was another man there, waiting for them.

"_Hello, Riza," _he had said, looking sad and happy at the same time._ "I'm your grandfather. I was your mother's father."_

And then he bent down and hugged her tightly, confusing her completely, but enjoying the sensation all the same. Riza remembered how furious her father had looked but he said nothing to him and when her grandfather asked if he could speak to her sometimes, he merely nodded and drove away, leaving Riza alone with him.

"_Why don't you come along to my house for a bit?"_ he had suggested, putting a smile on his face even though his eyes still shone with unshed tears. _"You can get a bit to eat and then maybe we can chat."_

The ride back to her grandfather's couldn't have been more different from the ride to the cemetery. He talked on and on the entire way there and continually tried to get Riza to talk but she was horrible at small talk and holding conversations with strangers, because that's what he was to her, so she usually just nodded or shook her head when she could.

Riza had been extremely surprised when she saw the grandeur of his house, three stories tall and probably four times bigger than her own in length. Inside, he ushered her into the dinning room, which had a table in it that could easily seat twenty, and set down a four course meal for her to eat.

"_So, Riza," _he said, staring at her fondly as she quietly ate her meal, feeling extremely nervous and confused._ "I have a few questions for you."_

Riza, who wanted to reply that she had several questions for him but couldn't seem to open her mouth, nodded.

"_You are in what grade again?"_

"_Sixth," _she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"_Yes, yes, perfect_," he said, smiling._ "Now, I wonder, have you ever thought of boarding school? You do know what that is, right?"_

"_I know what it means," _she said quietly, slightly annoyed with the fact that he thought she didn't know what that term meant.

"_Yes, well, have you ever thought of possibly going to one?"_

_Only always, _Riza thought but she shrugged instead.

"_Well how would you like it if you got to go to one, free of cost?"_

Riza blinked and stared up at the smiling man, stunned. Schools were expensive, she knew because she continually checked to see how much she would have to work to possibly go to one.

"_How could I do that?"_

"_Why, because I would pay for it."_

Riza sat stunned again. She then gave herself a shake and opened her mouth.

"_Why? I don't even know you."_

"_But I know you and I happen to know an excellent school at which you would fit perfectly into."_

"_What school?"_

"_My school."_

"_You have a school?"_

"_Well, I am headmaster there," _he said, pulling out a folded leaflet. _"Here."_

_Riza took the leaflet and saw the words 'Amestris Academy' written across the top. She flipped though it quickly before looking up at her grandfather again._

"_When could I go?" _she asked quickly, earning a small laugh from him_._

"_Now, unfortunately, you cannot go until you're in seventh grade but seeing as that it only six or so months away, you'll be able to go soon. Would you be interested?"_

"_Yes."_

* * *

Edward laid on his bed, flickering through a book while he searched for the page he had stopped on, when there was knock at his door. Ed looked up, surprised. His mother and Al knocked on the door but they would usually talk as they did so, which meant that there was only one other person that could be behind his door. Anger building, Ed set down his book with a snap and got up and opened the door.

"Hello, Edward."

Edward clenched his jaw and glared up into the golden eyes that he had inherited. With anger coursing through his veins, he opened his mouth and forced himself not to start screaming.

"Hello, _dad._"

* * *

**I really loved writing Maes and Gracia's part. It was fun. :P I also loved writing Trisha; she's such a sweetie. And Ed's gonna have his little showdown with Hoho next.**

**Hope you enjoyed and send me a review!**

**Happy holidays!**

**-FSK  
**


	23. Families

**HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! :D**

**Let's start off the new year with a spanking new chapter! **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and once again, thank you, my great beta Dani, who is not as worthless as she thinks she it. :)**

**READ!**

* * *

The two men with gold eyes and golden-blond glared at each other; well, one glaring while the other stared, waiting for the bomb to go off that was his son. Edward clenched his fists and took a step back from his father before he spoke in an angry voice.

"What do you want?" Ed asked in a growl.

"To talk to you," Hohenheim said calmly, clearly not wanting to fight with his son. "You've been gone for three months now. How have you been?"

"Fine," Ed snapped.

"That's good," he nodded. "And you've been keeping up your grades as well?"

"What do you think?" the younger blond asked with a sneer. "And you can check the grades online anyhow."

Hohenheim nodded and closed his mouth. Ed glared back but as he went to slam the door shut on his father, but Hohenheim reached out and stopped the door with one of his hands.

"Edward, we really need to talk, you know," he said evenly.

"What's there to talk about?" Ed growled, trying with all of his strength to pull the door closed. "You-don't-want-us-here."

"You are very mistaken and if you'd just let me talk to you- let me explain for a few minutes-"

"No!" he yelled before he succeeded in yanking the door shut. Unfortunately, his hands slipped form the knob and his momentum brought him tumbling down to the ground. His elbows took the worst of the fall and as they stung, Ed could hear his father sigh and walk away.

Grumbling to himself, Ed pushed himself from the ground and went to his desk in the corner by the window. The desk was covered in loose pieces of paper, many half-used notebooks, and many books of differing genera's. He could tell that his mother had tried to straighten up the mess slightly but it didn't really make a dent in the disorder. Ignoring how his mother would scold him later for the mess, Ed shoved everything to the ground and opened up the lid of the desk. Inside the desk was a different story; everything was neatly organized and there wasn't a paper out of place. Ed pulled out a folder from of the bottom of the desk and pulled out a letter that was printed on thicker than average paper.

It was his acceptance letter for Amestris Academy that he had gotten two years ago after he agreed to the scholarship he was supposedly offered. Only a couple months ago, Ed had found out that the school had never heard of his family and never offered him or his brother a scholarship. One day near the beginning of August, Ed had been looking around his father's office for something -perhaps a book, he couldn't remember- and found instead letters with his and his brother's transcripts sent to the academy. It had been clear then that his father had sent the letters for scholarships and then offered the idea of them going to the school so that he could get them out of the house for… for reason's Ed still didn't understand. But the important part of the story was that Edward's father wanted Ed and Al gone from the house, even though there mother would have befitted form the extra help around the house.

"Asshole," Ed grumbled before he shoved the letter back into the folder and tossed it back into the desk. Ed then slammed the desk shut and stomped out of the room.

* * *

Winry let out a long, low sigh as he disembarked from the plane. Soon after take-off, she had recovered from her temporary meltdown but she felt it was more for the benefit of the people around her, who kept giving her worried glances and asking if she was alright. Now, Winry had arrived in her grandmother's hometown and had to locate her grandmother and possibly her friend, Paninya.

_Just smile when you see them and act like you're truly happy,_ Winry told herself as she walked forwards with all of the other people. _Pretend like everything's normal. Like you do this everyday._

"Winry! Winry! Over here!"

Winry turned and saw her grandmother, who was smiling slightly, and her best friend, Paninya, who was waving wildly and grinning from ear to ear. Winry took a deep breath before she forced on a large and hopefully believable smile and walked towards the two women.

"Winry!" Paninya cried again before she ran forwards to hug Winry.

"Hi, Paninya!" Winry exclaimed with a small laugh.

"Oh I missed you this year so much!" she said, break away from Winry. "You missed so much! You know Janet Smith? _Pregnant_. I know, crazy! I just found out like, last night."

Paninya was a sixteen-year-old girl who was a little taller than Winry, had tanned skin, dark eyes, and dark hair chopped short and held back in a low pony-tail. The girl didn't usually talk this much but Winry assumed that since they hadn't really talked in a few months, she was trying to make up for it.

"And Mr. Garret had to break up a fight between Cody and Devon the other day, it was epic!"

Winry turned away from her babbling friend and faced her grandmother, who was smiling and hugged Winry tightly. The women didn't even make it to Winry's shoulder but she squeezed her so tightly that Winry was sure a few ribs had been cracked in the process.

"How are you, deary?" Pinako Rockbell asked.

"Fine, granny," Winry said, forcing her smile on her face again. "And you?"

"Oh I'm getting along," she said as the three began walking away. "Your friend here has been a big help with the house work so maybe I could hire her over the summer or something to do some work."

"I don't know about that one, Pinako," Paninya said, grimacing slightly. "I'm only doing all this because you're letting me stay. I don't know if I could do all that work full time."

"Think about it," she said as they stepped out of the airport and into the parking lot.

A few minutes later, Winry was inside of her grandmother's car, on their way to her house. As they drove, Pinako and Paninya continued to ask her questions about how her school was and how her friends were. The entire time, Winry did her best to keep her forced smile on and by the time they had reached her grandmother's house, she felt as if her face might freeze that way.

"Here we are!" Pinako declared as she parked the car and got out.

Her grandmother lived about thirty minutes out of Richmond in a more rural area. Her house was reminiscent to an old farm house, even though it had been built recently, and she had four acres of land fenced in around her house. As Winry lugged her bags from the car, she was sure she could hear the barking of Pinako's dog, Den.

"Come on, Winry," Pinako said, holding the front door open for her. "I'm sure you're starving. Dinner will be ready in a bit."

With the help of Paninya, Winry moved all of her belongings into the upstairs guest room that she had been using for as long as her grandmother had been living there. Paninya was staying the guest room next to Winry that usually went unused.

The guest room was painted a pale peach color and contained a queen-sized bed covered in warm bedding in various shades of brown. Next to the bed was a small bed-side table that held a lamp and a remote control. There was a large window on the wall across from the door with a padded window seat and a across from the bed was a large mahogany dressed with a plasma television hung above it.

Sighing slightly, Winry sat down on the large bed and fell backwards. Everything in the room was the same as it had been for years, except for the plasma television, but it felt so different to her. Staring up at the large ceiling fan, Winry turned her head to face Paninya, who had curled up on the window seat that overlooked the enormous backyard.

"Paninya?" Winry asked.

"Yeah, Winry?" she asked, looking concerned about her friend.

Winry stared out of the window for a moment, mystified by the beautiful orange color of the sky as the sun set. She wanted to turn to her friend and begin telling her all of the things that had run through her mind when she sat down in her seat on the plane. How everything about this holiday would be wrong and how she didn't know what she was going to do. Winry needed to tell someone, but she didn't want to worry her friend with her hysterics. So after a moment of thought, Winry held herself together and said simply, in a monotone voice, "This is gonna suck."

Paninya's expression of concern deepened and after a moment of silence, the girl did an odd mix of a shrug and a nod before she stood up and walked over to her friend. She then climbed onto the bed next to Winry and hugged her tightly.

"Probably," Paninya said, rubbing the back of her head.

And with that one word, Winry broke and began crying again.

* * *

"Roy! Roy! Come see my new video game! You'll love it!"

"Roy! Look, look! I lost a tooth! See?"

"Roy, you have to come play tea-party with me and princess snowflake!"

"No! Roy's going to come and help me make cookies for my class on Monday!"

"Nu-uh! I called him first!"

"No, I did!"

"Roy doesn't want to play with you babies, he wants to play with me the most!"

"No he doesn't! You're his least favorite!"

"I am not!"

Roy turned his head, which was the only part of his body he could move since the rest of his body was being held in its place by five screaming and laughing girls, and looked at his aunt, who was leaning against the wall, a cigarette lit and in her mouth, looking mildly amused at the scene in front of him.

His aunt, Christina Mustang, was a plump woman in her forties who looked meaner than she actually was. Her hair was black and straight and her eyes were dark like Roy's but that was where the comparisons stopped.

Roy had been picked up from the airport twenty minutes ago by his aunt and had just stepped through the front door when he was attacked by his five foster sisters. All five of his sisters were younger than him by about five years and all of them acted as if they hadn't seen him in three years, instead of three months.

"Glad to be back, Roy-Roy?" his aunt asked, smirking at Roy's obvious discomfort.

"Couldn't be happier," Roy sighed before he managed to break his arms free and proceeded to grab and tickle the girls.

"Stop! Stop!" one laughed as tears rolled down her face.

"No!" Roy cried with a mock evil cackle.

"I'm gonna pee my pants!"

"Too bad!"

"Seriously, Roy, if she does, you have to clean it up," Ms. Mustang said seriously, causing Roy to stop. "Girls, help Roy with his things and then clean up. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes."

"I got your bag, Roy!" shouted one of the younger girls as she ran to one of his two heavily packed bags.

"I wanna help!" shouted another as she begun to pull on the other unoccupied bag.

"Me too!" one cried as she attempted to push away the first girl.

"I got here first, Carolena!"

"Girls, girls!" Ms. Mustang shouted, breaking up the fight. "Carolena and Amy, come help me in the kitchen. Emma, you're still filthy, go wash up before dinner. Vanessa and Lily, go help your brother."

The two oldest girls grabbed the bags and carried them upstairs to Roy's room. Chatting loudly and happily as Roy followed closely behind them. Once inside the room, the two girls abandon his luggage and proceed to cling to Roy, while talking at top speed.

"Roy, we missed you so much!"

"Did you have fun at school?"

"Roy, did I tell you that I'm thinking of applying there next year?"

"I wanna go too! Roy, wouldn't it be fun for us to be there too?"

"Mom said that I might be able to, since I have good grades like you do but she said not to get my hopes up."

Roy held up a hand to silence the two girls before he moved towards his bed and collapsed on top of his bed. With tired eyes, Roy looked around his bedroom, looking at the dark-blue wallpaper and the bright red and orange bed spread, which clashed rather horribly, his mix-matched furniture and his beat up blocky television that sat on top of his dressed. Sighing slightly, Roy patted at the spot next to him on his bed. The two girls quickly ran over and sat down on the bed.

"So, how have you two been?" Roy asked, smiling tiredly.

"Oh it's been alright," Vanessa said, shrugging. "A little quiet without you here."

"I highly doubt this place has ever been quiet," Roy snorted, causing the two girls to smile.

Vanessa was twelve with light-brown hair, green eyes, and pale skin. She was the oldest of all the girls here and she was the first to come to the home after Roy. Roy had a special bond with her seeing as he had known her the longest.

Lily was eleven and had short blond hair, blue eyes, and peachy skin. She was tinier than some of the girls who were younger than her but Lily was considered one of the louder girls in the house.

"Well, it is quieter when everyone's not trying to get your attention," Vanessa said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry," Roy said, smiling. "But what were you saying earlier? About coming to my school?"

"Well…" Vanessa started, suddenly looking nervous, as she started twisting a lock of her hair around her finger. "I looked some stuff up on the computer and it looks really cool. And, and, well, I do have really good grades, you know, so I could probably get a scholarship or something so mom wouldn't have to worry too much about the cost. But I mean, I think it would be fun and I could meet new people and I could see you more too."

Roy stared at the young girl and considered for a minute what it would be like to have her at school with her. He didn't know how well she would do so far away from home but he guessed that with him being there things might go better. Really, the only thing that was making Roy worry was the cost of her going too. Roy was on a partial scholarship but the costs were still staggering. How was his aunt supposed to do that with two kids?

_But it'll only be for a year,_ Roy thought. _I'm graduating next year and maybe I could get a job on campus or something to help with the costs for that one year… but then I'll be going to college after that…_

"We can always see," Roy said, ruffling the girls hair. "You might as well try."

* * *

_Ring…ring…_

Riza reached over with her right hand and felt around until she found her phone. Riza glanced at the caller's name, shook her head slightly, and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"RIIIIZZZZAAA_!" _

Riza quickly jerked her head away from the phone and waited for her best friend to stop her shouting.

"Rebecca!" Riza yelled when her friends voice did not cease but continued at top speed. "Slow down and shut up! I'm now temporarily deaf in my ear!"

"_Well as long as it's temporarily!"_ Rebecca cried before she continued talking. "_I'm having a _major_ crisis here!"_

"What is it?" Riza asked tiredly, knowing she would regret asking in about five seconds.

"_Well I thought I had packed my straightener in my suitcase but I've torn it to pieces and I can't find it and I met this cute guy at the store earlier and we were planning on getting something to eat tomorrow and my hair is like an afro right now!"_ Rebecca cried. _"How can I meet a cute guy with an afro?"_

"Doesn't your mom have one you could borrow?" Riza asked through a yawn, noticing the missing straightener lying on Rebecca's desk.

"_Yes but the crazy woman is_ hogging it_!"_ Rebecca shouted the last two words louder than she had anything else, leading Riza to believe that her mother was within earshot. And sure enough, Rebecca's mother's voice could be heard on the other line, shouting at her daughter.

"_Well you're not the only ones with plans, little missy!"_

"_Yes but who takes two hours to straighten hair?"_

"_You do!"_

"_But that's your fault because you gave me your curly hair!"_

"_Plenty of girls would kill for our curls!"_

"_Well then why don't you keep your hair curly?"_

"_Because my hair's an afro!"_

"_Mine too!"_

"_Well I'm your mother and I'm more important than you so deal with it! Maybe next time you'll double-check your packing and bring your straightener home with you!"_

Riza heard a door slam in the background and half-hoped that Rebecca had forgotten that she was talking to Riza so that she would be able to hang up and return to what she had been doing beforehand.

"Ugh! _She's driving me nuts!"_ Rebecca cried, picking up her phone again. "_She's a complete lunatic!"_

"Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree," Riza muttered under her breath.

"_What?"_

"Nothing, I was just …thinking about something I was reading in a book," Riza covered up quickly.

"_Ugh, you're reading?"_

"Yes. What's the matter with that?

"_Holiday is not for reading. A holiday is for watching tons of mind-rotting television and forgetting everything that you just learned in school!"_

Riza chose not to comment and simply shook her head instead. She then got up, walked towards the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.

"_Anyways, I've been really bored," _Rebecca complained. _"There's really nothing to do here. And the school's still in session until Tuesday and so I can't really hang out with anyone either."_

Riza made a some-what sympathetic noise as she drank the majority of the bottle. Riza was just about to go back to her bed when there was knock on her door, confusing her. There weren't any students left in her dorm, and hardly more than a few left on campus. Who could possibly be at her door? Walking slowly and carefully towards the door, Riza listened for sounds before she opened the door and peered out into the dark hallway.

"Hello, Riza."

It was her grandfather, dressed in a sweater that screamed grandparent, brown slacks, and a pair of scuffed up shoes. It was rather strange for Riza to see him looking so casual when he was usually dressed in his best suits.

"Um…" Riza mumbled, staring at her grandfather, feeling slightly awkward. Riza was not dressed at all, due to the fact that it was rather late and she was thinking about going to sleep. She wore a pair of pink flannel pajama pants, a ratty grey shirt bearing the schools logo, and her hair was a rat's nest, pulled up into a messy pony tail.

"_Riza! Are you even listening to me?"_ Rebecca whined on the other end of the phone.

"Uh, yeah," Riza answered, turning away from Grumman, who continued to smile and wait until she finished her conversation. "It's just my dad," she quickly fabricated, thinking of how her friends thought she was at her home.

"_Oh, how is the creep? Should I get off the phone? Are you allowed to be talking this late?"_ Rebecca asked quickly; Rebecca had never met Riza's father but Riza had told her that her father was very strict.

"Um, no," Riza said quickly. "I need to go now."

"_Well we'll talk later, right?"_

"Yeah, talk to you later. Bye."

"_Bye!"_

Riza quickly hung up and folded her arms across her chest before she turned to face her grandfather, who looked slightly upset with her.

"You know, I think that maybe you should stop lying to your friends and just tell them the truth," he said seriously.

"No, you don't know my friends," Riza said sternly, shaking her head. "Nothing good would come out of it."

Grumman laughed lightly.

"Oh I don't know your friends, do I?" he asked.

Riza stared at her feet for a moment, feeling weird about discussing her friends, since they usually skated around such topics.

"Rebecca Catalina, Sheska Collins, Gracia Smith, Jean Havoc, Maes Hughes, Roy Mustang, the Elrics, the Tringhams and, most recently, Winry Rockbell."

"So you know their names," Riza said, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"I know much, much more than you think," he said sternly, giving Riza a stare that was so similar to her own that it was startling. "I definitely know that you and your friends have broke more rules than I have grey hairs and that there's a certain boy in your group of friends who you hold a certain fondness for."

Riza's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she felt her face heat up. Grumman smiled at her again, annoying Riza. She then turned her head away from her grandfather, choosing not to speak until he got to the point of the unscheduled visit.

"I know plenty," he muttered, smiling slightly. "As headmaster, you hear things. Oh, I bet I could tell you secrets about students you don't even know. But, back to my point, I know you friends and I know you. But the problem is that I've learned about them from everyone else besides you."

Riza looked up at him, confused.

"And that is why you are packing up your things and you are coming to stay with me this week."

"What?" Riza cried in surprise.

"Yes," Grumman said with a nod. "It's ridiculous how little we've told each other. You need to stop seeing me as only the headmaster of your school but also your grandfather, who wants to create a relationship with his only granddaughter."

Riza stared up into his grey eyes and saw that they had softened and now were bordering on sad. After a few moments of thought, Riza accepted that she would follow his orders and stay with him.

"Just give me ten minutes," Riza said, stepping back into her room.

"I'll be waiting for you downstairs," he said, smiling, before he turned and began heading towards the elevator.

* * *

"Hello?" Roy asked as he answered his cell phone hours later, not bothering to check the caller I.D. since he was too busy playing a video game.

"_Yo, Roy! What's up buddy?"_

It was Maes. Roy paused the game so that he could focus on his conversation.

"Nothing, how're you?" Roy asked, leaning back against the wall as he sat on his bed. He then checked the time on his alarm clock. "Did you just get home?"

"_Nah, I got home an hour ago!"_

"Oh, so then you just got done talking with Gracia," Roy muttered, rolling his eyes.

"_Yup!_" he declared happily. "_Oh, I miss her already, Roy! I don't know what I'm going to do without seeing my lovely little Gracia!"_

Roy sighed and covered his face with the palm on his hand, exasperated at his friends extreme behavior.

"Dude, it's bee like, four hours. You have got to get a grip," Roy said seriously. "You do know that in three weeks, you're going to have to leave your little girlfriend again? And then you'll have to do the same over summer break. And I swear, if you repeat what you did last year, I will block your number and unfriend you on Facebook."

"_So harsh,"_ Maes sighed. "_I was only calling you because I thought that you, my best friend, would want to know when I'm in pain."_

"You called me no less than four times a day!"

"_Yes, and maybe I would have called less if you picked up every now and again."_

"Whatever man. If you're just gonna moan and groan about how you're missing Gracia then I'm hanging up right now."

"_Well then I have something else we should talk about,"_ Maes said, suddenly sounding very serious.

"Um, okay," Roy said, feeling slightly worried.

"_Now, I have some serious advice for you. Something that I think would help you exponentially."_

"And what is it?" he asked.

There was a pause and Roy thought momentarily that his friend had hung up accidentally but just as he was about to ask if he was still there, Maes spoke.

"_You should find a girlfriend."_

_Click!_ Roy ended the call before throwing his phone across the room.

"Give it a rest," he growled before returning to his game.

* * *

**I love writing everyone back home with their little family quirks. I also love writing grandpa Grumman. Because he is adorable.**

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and hopefully, I'll get the next one up soon. :)**

**It's a week until my 17th birthday! *start dancing***

**See ya!**

**-FSK  
**


	24. A Change for the Worse

**Hey there, readers! :)**

**Whoa, another update? Yeah, that's right. I'm updating like mad here. :P**

**Anywho, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter, I greatly apprciated them all. :) I'd also like to thank my wonderfully amazing editor, Dani, for getting this chapter to me so quickly.**

**So, who's ready for some more familial drama?**

* * *

Ten minutes after her grandfather had arrived at her dorm room, Riza had arrived in the Common Room, carrying a suitcase of her belongings. Her grandfather was sitting on one of the chairs while perusing a magazine that had been left on a table.

"Grandfather," Riza said, speaking up after a moment of waiting patiently for him to notice.

Grumman turned, looked up, and smiled.

"Oh, these chairs are really not that great for an old man's back," he groaned as he got out of the chair. "I should see if there's room in the budget to get new seats."

Still clutching the magazine, Grumman made his way over to Riza.

"Ready to go?"

"Yes," she said, nodding slightly.

"Good," he said before he placed a gentle hand on Riza's shoulder and began guiding her out the door.

Outside of the door was her grandfather's shiny black car with his driver sitting in the front, waiting for them. The driver got out to put Riza's bag into the trunk while Grumman held the door open for Riza before he got in after her.

"Are you hungry?"

Riza shrugged before she stared out the window. A light snow was falling on the town, muting the colors of everything around them. The car zoomed down the hill, past the center of the tiny town of Resembool, and soon they were flanked by only fields of powered snow. Riza's grandfather lived twenty minutes out of the town on a small estate and before Riza knew it, the car was passing through metal gates and moving towards the grand house that still impressed her.

"Miss Riza," said the driver as he got out and opened her door for her.

"Thank you," she said quietly, feeling extremely awkward.

Riza rushed up the snow-less steps and into the house, trying to ignore all of the people smiling and bowing and curtsying at her. Inside, her coat was taken by a man she didn't know and then her grandfather appeared, smiling widely.

"Well, let's get you to your room."

Riza had been to her grandfather's house a few times but she knew for a fact that he had only seen a small portion of the house. She wasn't one for exploring or nosing around someone things so she always stayed where she was supposed to be. Riza also knew that she would need a map for this place because after two different flights of stairs, many different halls and turns, and five minutes of walking, they had finally reached what Grumman said was her room.

"I hope you like it."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," she said, smiling slightly.

"Well, I need to run, dinner will be ready in thirty minutes or so," he said. "Will you be alright until then?"

"Oh I'm sure I will be," Riza said, thinking of how if she wanted to get to dinner on time she better leave now.

"See you in a bit then," Grumman said before he turned and walked down the other end of the hall.

Turning towards the large door, Riza let out a breath before she opened up the door.

"Oh my…"

The room was probably as big as the common room in East dorm. There was a large king-sized bed, beautifully crafted wooden furniture, a plasma television, and a full bath that was the size of her dorm room was attached onto the room. It was the most impressive thing she had ever seen. Riza walked tentatively towards her bed, noting that the carpeting was plush, and sat down on the large bed. It was unbelievably comfortable and she would have been happy to just lie down and sleep. But no, she needed to figure her way down to the dinning room. As she walked through the halls, Riza felt that maybe for once, she would have a decent holiday.

* * *

"Hello?"

"_Winry! Happy Thanksgiving!"_ Sheska chirped from the other side of the phone line. _"How have you been?"_

"Good," Winry muttered as she stirred the contents of one of the many pots that occupied the stove. She took one out to taste before returning to Sheska. "Happy Thanksgiving to you too. How has your holiday been?"

"_Ehh, alright. I'm dying right now though."_

"Why?"

"_My entire family comes over to my house and I mean, _entire_ family. I have got like, ten aunts and ten uncles, a zillion cousins and it's crazy! And every single one of them wants to know how every moment of my life has been since they last saw me and I've had to repeat myself like, a billion goddamn times!"_

"That… must suck," Winry said, trying to keep the bitterness she felt out of her voice.

"_It does!"_ the girl continued, oblivious to her friends tone. "_I'm calling you from inside my bathroom right now because it's the only place where I can get any freaking privacy!"_

Just then, Winry heard someone yell to Sheska on the other line. Sheska yelled something back but she couldn't tell what had been said.

"_Sorry but I gotta go_," she said apologetically.

"That's alright," Winry said. "I'll talk to you later… or I'll see you at school soon."

"_Oh right, don't remind me. But yeah, talk to you again soon! Bye!"_

"Bye."

Winry hung up her phone and quickly shoved it into her pants pocket. It was Thanksgiving day and she was busy with the preparations. Paninya, who could not cook to save her life, was sitting on the couch in the living room, flipping between all of the channels showing the Macy's Day parade and shouting out whenever some exciting balloon floated by. Pinako was somewhere around the house or the yard, Winry had seen her pop in and out to check on the foods progress.

The entire day, Winry had tried to put up a good front but she knew that it was rather transparent to the two women. Several times, she felt herself want to cry, scream in anger, and just lie down and give up; Winry just didn't know in what order to do them. Her parents had promised to be on Skype a bit after dinner but Winry wasn't really looking forwards to it. Seeing her parents and not being able to have them physically be there would feel too wrong.

_Nothing's right_, she thought miserably, prodding at the potatoes and fighting against the tears once again.

As her vision clouded more and more, Winry gave up, walked out of the kitchen to the hall bathroom, sat down and began crying. She covered her mouth up, not wanting to let anyone hear, but the more she tried to stay quiet, the louder she got. Winry turned on the faucet as high and as loud as it would go, hoping it would drown out some of her sobs.

* * *

"_I miss you, my angel," Maes wined._

"I miss you too," Gracia sighed, staring at the blank television screen that sat across from her bed. "But we'll see each other on Sunday. That's really only two days away."

"_I know… But it's hard!"_ Maes cried. _"My parents don't understand how much I love you!"_

"I don't think anyone who knows us could not understand how much we love each other," she said with a small laugh.

"_Yes but they just think it's some silly high school crush,"_ he pouted. "_But don't they realize we've been together for almost two years? I mean, that's longer than some marriages."_

"They'll get the message someday," Gracia said, nodding. "One day they'll stop doubting."

"_Yeah but when will that be? I don't want them to keep doubting us in a year or two or when we're married or when we have kids."_

Gracia felt her face go hot and her heart sped up a bit at the idea of her and Maes getting married and then having kids. Sure, she had thought of the scenarios before but hearing Maes say them made it feel more real than a daydream.

"Well… I'm sure they'll be more accepting by that point," she said.

"_They better…"_

"Well, I gotta go," Gracia said apologetically. "Dinner will be ready in an hour and I promised mom that I would help her."

"_Alright, I understand."_

"I'll talk to you after dinner though."

"_Of course. I love you."_

"I love you too."

"_See you Sunday."_

"See you Sunday."

Smiling, Gracia ended the call and got up off her bed. Just as she opened the door to leave her room, her cell phone began to ring again. Expecting it to be Maes again, she was surprised to see that it was in fact Rebecca calling her.

"Hello?"

"_Oh my god, Gracia!"_ Rebecca cried.

"What is it?" she asked, worried for her friend.

"_My mom is a psycho! And Riza won't pick up her phone anymore! I've been trying to get a hold of her for two days now! …I think she might be dead."_

"Don't be so overdramatic," Gracia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Her dad's strict isn't he? He probably nabbed her phone or something."

"_Yeah well she hasn't been on Facebook either! And I keep trying to tell her how much of a psycho my mom is but I can't!"_

"Well, what's wrong?"

"_Well two days ago, she wouldn't let me out to go hang out with this hot guy because I hadn't done my chores but it was because of her that I couldn't do my chores in the first place. I mean, she rearranged the furniture in the house while I was gone and neither me nor my dad could find the vacuum and how am I supposed to clean the carpet when there's no vacuum?"_

"Understandable," Gracia muttered, sitting back on her bed. While her friend rambled in the background, she let her mind wonder to what Maes had said about being married with kids.

* * *

"Roy!" Vanessa yelled as she walked down the hall towards Roy's room. "Roy! Mom needs you downstairs! Quit hiding in your room!"

"I'm coming, relax," Roy said through the door before he opened it. He held his cell phone up to his left ear with his hand, clearly talking to someone. "Just tell her I'll be down in a minute."

"Alright," the small girl said, looking stern. "But if you're more than a minute, I'm bringing the little ones up _here_."

"I got it, I got it," Roy said before closing his door and retreating back into his room. "Ugh, man you are so lucky you don't have any siblings."

"_Yes I am_," Jean said, and Roy could just imagine the smirk on his face. "_And I also love the fact that I have no bratty little cousins that I have to deal with. Just a bunch of older cousins and crazy uncles and aunts who want to play beer pong with me."_

"Piss off," Roy grumbled. "I have to go and baby sit the youngest ones while my aunt's cooking the dinner. Vanessa just yelled at me."

"_Have fun with that."_

"Again, piss off."

"_Heh."_

"Oh, hey, guess what?"

"_What?"_

"Vanessa said that she wanted to maybe come to the Academy next year. She's looking into scholarships."

"_Now which one is that again?"_ Jean asked.

"She's the one who covered your car in plastic wrap while we were sleeping and then put shaving cream in your hand and made you-"

"_Yeah, I get it,"_ Jean snapped. _"Damn… I don't want to imagine what she'd do to me if we were at the same school."_

"She'd probably kick your ass in front of the whole school," Roy laughed.

"_Yeah well I'd just have to get her back then."_

"Are you really going to beat up a seventh grader?"

"_I never said beat up. I just said that I'd get her back."_

Roy rubbed his face with his palm and sighed. This idea of Vanessa coming to school was already spiraling out of control.

"Whatever man but I gotta go or else my room's gonna get torn up by a bunch of munchkins."

"_Alright. See you at school."_

"Yeah, see ya."

Roy ended the call, shoved his phone into his pocket, and just as he was about to leave his room, Vanessa shouted up at him.

"Roy! You have five seconds!"

"I'm coming! _Geez!"_

* * *

"Happy Thanksgiving, Riza," Grumman said from across the table they sat at in his parlor.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Grandfather," Riza said, smiling slightly.

Over the past few days, the two relatives had gotten closer together but there was still a bit of awkwardness between them. They sat in Grumman's parlor that overlooked his massive but beautiful backyard. The two ate all of their meals there now after Riza had admitted how serious and intimidating the large dining room was to her. She greatly preferred the new seating arrangements.

"Do you like white or dark meat?" Grumman asked as he pointed at the plump turkey that say between them with his carving knife.

"White," Riza answered, quietly anticipating eating the delicious food that her grandfather's cooks had made.

Her grandfather quickly loaded her plate with a few slices before putting some on his own. Once both plates were loaded up with turkey, potatoes, and vegetables and their wine glasses filled, they began eating.

"So, I was wondering when you would want to get back to the Academy," Grumman said as he dug into his meal.

"Well… when were you planning on going back?" Riza asked, a heavily loaded fork hovering an inch away from her mouth.

"I was planning on getting back on Saturday but if you wanted to get back earlier I would be able to do that."

"No. Saturday will be just fine," she said; Saturday would be fine because all of her friends would be coming back on Sunday.

"That's good then," he said with a smile. "So, are you ready for your midterm exams?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine."

Midterm exams would be taking place during the first week of January when they arrived back from Winter break. Teachers had been already preparing for them before the students left on their Thanksgiving break. Most of her friends had not even glances at the review guides and Riza knew that once everyone returned from break, a full-on panic would start due to the closeness of the exams.

"And your friends?" he asked, looking amused.

Riza stared at him for a moment, taken aback due to the fact that he seemed to have read her mind. Riza closed her eyes and calmed her mind before answering him.

"I think some of them will panic when their vacations are over but I'm sure all of them will rise to the occasion."

"I think so too."

* * *

"Let's eat. And I want to see you boys actually using your napkins this time, not just using the table cloth," Trisha Elric commented sternly as she sat down at one side of the dinner table in the dinning room.

"I don't use the table cloth, mom," Edward comment through a mouthful of turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes.

"Yeah, you just use you pants and shirt," Alphonse said with a smile as he at his meal slower than his brother.

"Shut up, Al," the older brother grumbled as he tried to cram as much of his mother delicious foods as he could into his mouth.

"I think it would be better if you shut your mouth, Ed. At least while there's food in it."

Ed glared at his younger brother before returning to his heavily laden plate of food. He listened to his brother talk about school and friends to their mother and father while he ate quickly. He loved his mother's cooking and he was fully believed that no one on the planet could hold a candle to her culinary skills. The fact that he lived off of the half-assed school meals for three-fourths of the year was a major drawback to going to the Academy.

Feeling eyes on him, Ed looked up and saw an exact copy of his own eyes staring at him. Hohenheim had his hands frozen in the middle of cutting his turkey and he looked as if he wanted to talk to Ed. But before he got the chance, Ed turned his head and quickly jumped into Al and Trisha's conversation about the approaching exams.

"I'm sure you'll do lovely on all of them," Trisha commented as she speared a few lettuce leaves with her fork.

"I don't know. Mr. Meehan is a pretty hard teacher," Al admitted.

"Al, if you don't get an A on every exam, it would be the sign of the apocalypse," Ed said with a slight roll of his eyes.

"Same to you too, brother."

"Well I have complete confidence that I'll ace every exam they throw at me," he boasted, pointing his fork at his brother.

"My boys will do lovely," Trisha said with a nod and a smile. She then turned to look at her husband, who was watching the three converse. "They get it from their brilliant father."

Edward's face fell into a scowl and quickly shoved another loaded fork into his mouth. Hohenheim smiled warmly at his wife.

"Don't sell yourself short," he said quietly. "You are rather brilliant yourself. I don't want to take all the credit."

Trisha smiled lovingly at him before turning her face downward, hiding her expression behind a curtain of chocolate brown hair.

"So modest," she whispered, playing with her food rather than eating it.

Ed and Al exchanged covert glances. It was normal for the parents to act different when around each other, loving each other in a reserved way, but today seemed different. Whatever was the matter, the two blond boys couldn't put their fingers on it.

The small family continued their holiday routinely, cleaning away the main course when it was done and then bringing out the equally delicious deserts of apple pie, ice cream, and coffee. The two boys quickly devoured their shares of delectable pie before retreating up to their rooms and relaxing.

"Oh man, I think I'm gonna explode," Ed groaned as he collapsed onto his bed, patting his slightly swollen stomach.

"Ugh, me too," Al said, sliding down onto the floor next to his brother's bed.

"Wanna play some Call of Duty?" Ed asked after a moment, turning his head to look at his brother.

"Sure," Al responded happily.

"Put it in," he said, gesturing to the game station which sat under his television. "And hand me a controller."

Ed rolled onto his stomach, held the controller in his hands, which were hanging over the edge of the bed, and waited for the game to start while Al positioned himself against the bed.

"Hello?" Ed asked a few hours later, after glancing at the caller I.D. on his phone and seeing that it was Russell calling.

"_Hey, Ed, what's up?"_ Russell asked, he could hear Fletcher doing something in the background.

"Nothin' much," he said, stifling a yawn. "Me and Al are watching some T.V. How about you?"

"_Ehh, same here."_

"I swear, I was about to explode earlier from how much food I ate."

"_You never know when to stop, do you?"_ his friend asked with a small sigh.

"Oh I know, I just ignore it. I mean, come on. You've tasted my mom's cooking before."

"_True, true."_

"In fact, I'm going to go get some more right now," Ed decided, getting up from his place on his bed and stepping around Al, who was beginning to doze off in front of the television.

"_You're insane,"_ Russell said.

Ed rolled his eyes and didn't care to comment.

"_So anyhow, I was gonna ask, when were you coming back to the Academy?"_

"I got tickets for Saturday morning so I'll be back around lunchtime," Ed answered as he moved down the staircase. "When are you getting back?"

"_Same time,"_ Russell answered. _"Do you have any idea when the others will be back?"_

"Nope," Ed said as he opened the refrigerator door and peered inside. There were the remains of the turkey, pie, and sides. Placing his phone in-between his ear and shoulder, Ed pulled out the metal tray that held the turkey and set it on the counter before he pulled out a large metal knife and began cutting the cold meat off.

"_Are you even listening to me?"_ Russell asked in annoyance.

"Wha?" Ed mumbled, returning to reality.

"_That answers my question,"_ he grumbled.

"My bad," Ed admitted. "What were you talking about?"

"_Pff… nothing important,"_ Russell muttered_. "Listen, just go back to the love of your life and call me once you're finished fooling around with it."_

"Shut up, man," Ed growled, watching as the plate of turkey rotated in the microwave with wide eyes.

"Talk to you later."

"Bye," he said before he ended the call and shoved the phone back into his pant pocket.

The microwave made it's horribly annoying wail that meant that he food was done and Ed opened the door before quickly reaching in to get his food, wincing as the hot glass plate met his hands.

"Ow, ow, ow," he whispered as he sat the plate on the counter. Ed then pulled out a fork and began devouring the food. Just as he stuffed a few pieces of turkey into his mouth, he heard a loud, crashing noise that jolted him out of his stupor. "What the hell was that?"

Ignoring his food temporarily, Ed moved out of the kitchen and down the hall towards the noise. The living room light was off and the only light was coming from the light in the kitchen but Ed was able to make out a dark figure lying on the floor.

"Hello?" he asked, feeling panic rise up in him.

Ed took a step forwards, flicked on the light switch and felt his stomach drop. Lying on the floor in front of the stairs, was his mother, seemingly unconscious.

"Mom!" Ed shouted, running towards the woman before kneeling down next to her. "Mom! Wake up! Mom!_ Mom!"_

* * *

**Dun-Dun-DUN! Oh snap. Trisha's down! Ed to the rescue!  
**

**Can I just say that I am_ completely_ in love with writing Riza and Grumman's relationship? Because it is seriously one of my favorite parts of writing this story. I can't stop.**

**So, you all know the drill. Send a review my way and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. :) That is if I manage to live through my exams next week. o.0 I swear to god, honors pre-calc and honors chemistry are going to slaughter me.**

**Hope to here from you all again *crosses fingers***

**-FSK  
**


	25. The Request

**Hey readers, happy Super Bowel Sunday (if you happen to be into that...)**

**My lovely editor Dani just finished up on this chapter so here it is for you all to read. Thanks for all the reviews I got from last chapter, they were greatly appreciated. :)**

**So let's find out what's gonna happen to poor old Trisha.  
**

* * *

Edward opened his eyes and stared at the linoleum flooring of the hospital waiting room, his hands and bangs shielding his face from view. Alphonse sat next to him, in a state of almost catatonic worry. Hohenheim was not with them, he was wherever Trisha was, in some hospital examination room. Ed and his brother had been sitting, waiting, for over two hours and even though it was already well past midnight, Edward did not feel remotely tired. Edward covered his face with his hands for a moment before he rubbed his face and lifted his head to stare out into the near-empty waiting room.

Soon after Edward had found his mother, lying unconscious, his brother and father were at the scene in a flash and within minutes, Trisha was on her way to the hospital in an ambulance with their father. Only a few minutes after the ambulance left, Ed and Al were in Ed's car, driving to the hospital. They knew that there would be no news for hours but if something were to happen, at least they would be nearby. And besides, it's not like they would be doing anything different if they had stayed at home.

Edward turned to look at his brother and felt his heart give an uncomfortable squeeze. Al looked so lost and upset, his big golden-brown eyes staring blankly ahead of him. He had not really said anything since he had first seen Trisha on the floor and he didn't look like he would be up to speaking for a while.

What was he, the older brother, doing? Ed wasn't doing anything helpful for his younger brother and he was probably looking just as scared. He needed to be stronger for Alphonse.

Letting out a shuddering sigh, Ed sat up in his seat before he wrapped a supportive arm around Al's shoulders. Al, slightly shaken out of his stupor, turned and looked at Ed. Ed tried his best to give his younger brother a reassuring smile but he was pretty sure the expression he had managed was more tired than anything.

_She'll be fine,_ Ed wished he could say to his brother. _This has happened before and she's be fine afterwards before. This isn't any different from any of those other times. Mom will be fine. In a few hours, everything will be better._

Edward wished he could have believed the words himself but he knew that it was too naïve to not think that maybe this time, things would go horribly wrong, that everything wouldn't be fine, that their mother might not pull through. At this thought, Edward felt sick and let himself collapse again with his face in his hands.

So much for being strong for his brother.

* * *

"Honey, _honey_, wake up."

Hohenheim jumped slightly and looked up at his wife, who was looking very tired but was still smiling. Trisha was sitting upright in her hospital bed and was staring down at her husband, who had fallen asleep sitting by her side. His upper half was sprawled over the bed with his head resting on her left thigh while his hands gripped onto her left hand. Feeling slightly disorientated, Hohenheim forced his spine to straighten and sat upright again.

"I told you, you should have gone home and come back later," Trisha said, looking sad as her husband rubbed his back in hopes of relief. "It's not good for your back to be sleeping like this."

"I'm fine," Hohenheim said, yawning slightly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Trisha said, bringing up her right hand to stroke his face slightly. "I just got a bit over worked today and that's why I collapsed. I can go home in the morning."

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked his wife again. "You didn't get hurt from the fall or anything?"

"I'm as alright as I can be at this point," Trisha said with a kind of hollow smile. "You should go get the boys so they can see me and then go home."

"Are they still here?" Hohenheim asked, glancing at the clock; it was now quarter to four in the morning.

"What do you think?" Trisha asked with a fuller smile. "I'm sure they haven't left the waiting room for more than a few minutes since they got here."

"I'll go and get them in a minute then," Hohenheim said with a nod.

Hohenheim gripped his wife's small hand tighter before looking back up at his her. He let out a heavy sigh, causing her to frown slightly. Trisha moved her right hand and placed it on his own hand.

"What is it, dear?"

"Nothing…" he lied, looking away from his wife.

"Sweetheart, you've never been very good at keeping secrets from me," Trisha said, smiling once more. "What is it?"

"I was just thinking, about the boys," Hohenheim said.

"I think about them constantly," Trisha said, but her tone seemed to suggest that she was talking more to herself than to her husband. Hohenheim seemed to realize this for himself, since did not say anything to it.

"I tried to talk to Edward the other day."

"Yes, you told me."

"So you'll remember how he could hardly talk to me for more than five seconds before wanting to escape?" he asked bitterly.

"Yes," Trisha sighed.

"…I just wanted to tell him the truth," Hohenheim said after a second. "I wanted to tell him why we really sent him and Alphonse away to school but he just wouldn't listen to me."

"Well he is your son after all," Trisha said with a shrug before adding, with a tiny smile, "Very stubborn."

Hohenheim made a face that once might describe as a pout.

"Why is he my son when he's being stubborn?"

"Because as I remember, you were once a very stubborn young man, just like Edward," Trisha said. "You two are basically the same person born into different generations."

"Not quite," he sad quietly. "He's a very caring person, just like you."

"And you're not caring?"

Hohenheim smiled lightly at his wife before he returned back to the original conversation.

"We need to tell them, you know."

"I do know but getting through Edward will be a tall order."

"It would be easier if Alphonse knew Edward's suspicion; Alphonse could be easily talked to."

"And why do you think Alphonse does not know Edward's thoughts?"

"Because Alphonse still talks to me," Hohenheim said heavily. "He doesn't seem to doubt a single thing about me while Edward… well, doubt is the only thing I get from him. That and hatred."

"He doesn't hate you!" Trisha exclaimed. "He's just upset at the thought of _you_ hating _him_, which is understandable."

"I don't hate him at all…" he muttered. "I love him very much… I love both of my sons very much."

"I know you do."

The two were quiet for a very long time, both apparently lost in thought, before either one of them spoke.

"Maybe… maybe it's for the best if they don't know the truth," Trisha said quietly.

Hohenheim didn't day anything but stared at his wife instead.

"I know you don't like to bear Edward's anger but, maybe it would just upset them more if they knew the truth," she said. "Seeing as it would mean that their whole reason for going there was kind of redundant."

"There was a purpose for them to go to the Academy," Hohenheim said, his gold eyes shining as he looked at this sickly wife. "Even if it wasn't the purpose they thought it was. It was a good idea to send them there. They've benefited from it more than they could ever know."

"So… should we not try to tell them?" Trisha asked. "I don't want you to have to deal with Edward being so upset with you but-"

"No. I agree with you, it is for the best that they not know right now," Hohenheim said steadily. "They'll know the truth eventually but not now. I can deal with Edward for now."

"Alright then," Trisha said. "Then please go get our boys… they must be so tired."

* * *

"Mom, are you alright?" Alphonse asked, looking close to tears, as he hugged his mother.

"Yes, I'm alright," she said as she kissed her younger son on the check. "The doctors will let me go in the morning."

"What time exactly?" Al asked eagerly.

"Oh, I'm sure sometime when the sun's up," Trisha said with a smile. "But for now you need to get back home and get to bed. You look so exhausted."

"I'm not that tired," Al lied, failing to stifle a yawn. "I've stayed up later than this before."

"While I don't doubt that, you still need to get some sleep. Growing boys need plenty of sleep."

"Right," Al said with a nod before he moved away from his mother and turned to look at his brother, who was standing in the doorway of the room.

"Ed?"

"I think your brother might want to tell me something," Trisha said. "How about you wait outside with your father?"

Al nodded and then walked out of the room. Edward sighed as he moved forwards and then sat down in the seat that was previously occupied by his father. Trisha reached out and placed a hand on top of Ed's head. She then ran her fingers through his unbound locks and smiled.

"I think your hair needs a trim," she said, smiling warmly.

Edward looked up at his mother and let himself smile half-heartily at her. He was very happy about his mother being fine but whenever she collapsed or something else happened to her, Edward always thought of how he had to work to find a cure before it was too late. Truthfully, he was already thinking of books he should reference once he got back home.

"I'm glad you're alright," Ed said heavily.

"Me too," she said, smiling. "You need to get back to bed now. You look as if you haven't slept in weeks."

"I'm fine," Ed lied.

"All three of you boys, lying to me, saying you're alright when you're clearly not," Trisha said with a small shake of her head.

"Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Edward. I just wish you all would feel better."

"I'll feel better when you feel better, mom."

Trisha tilted her head and gave her eldest son an odd yet unreadable expression. Edward had the feeling there was pity mingling somewhere in there but he couldn't pick out what else. Her expression bothered him none-the-less.

"I think you would also feel better if you didn't work so hard, Edward."

"I _have_ to work hard," Edward said stubbornly.

"You have to?"

"Yes," Ed said, as if it were the most obvious thing on the planet.

"Says who?"

Edward was a loss for words. Says who? What was the supposed reason he and Al were sent away to Amestris Academy? It was because his mother and father had said that it would be a good idea to search for a cure there. She was not making any sense to him.

"Says who?" Ed repeated, looking and sounding utterly confused. "Wasn't the whole reason for going to the Academy for us to work hard at finding a cure for you, mom?"

"Hmm… I don't know if that was the entire reason," Trisha said cryptically. "Maybe it was just the incentive."

Edward scowled and scrunched his brow in confusion.

"Just do your old mom one thing Edward?"

"Anything," Ed said quickly.

"Relax."

"Okay… what do you want me to do?" Ed asked which caused Trisha to smile.

"No, I want you to relax. Take it easy. Stop working so hard."

"But-"

"Don't worry about me right now, Edward," she said, holding up a hand. "Worry about yourself. From what Alphonse tells me, you stay up half of the night working. That's not good for you."

Edward would have loved to have fought his mother on the subject, tell her how he was perfectly aware of what his body was capable of and that it was all for her that he was doing this, but he held his tongue. His mother was probably the only person on the planet who could make him keep his opinions to himself. So instead of fighting with her, he shrugged and moved forwards to hug her tightly.

"I'll talk to you more in the morning, alright?" Trisha asked.

"Alright, mom," Ed sighed.

"Now, go home and I want you to go straight to bed. No if's, and's, or but's, about it," Trisha said sternly. "Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good," she said before placing a kiss on his check. "Now get to bed. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright. Bye, mom," he said as he got up to leave.

"See you in a bit," she said with a little wave.

Edward left the room and found Al and his father sitting in plastic chairs near the nurses' station. Seeing Ed, the two men got up and together, the three Elrics walked towards the exit.

* * *

"Thank you for inviting me to your home, grandfather," Riza said, smiling slightly as she and Grumman drove back to the Academy. "I'm glad I stayed there."

"As am I," Grumman said, smiling widely at his granddaughter. "I hope you'll also accept my invitation to come and stay with me at Christmas."

Riza blinked, slightly surprised. While she had always stayed at the Academy over Thanksgiving, she had always gone home for Christmas. And even though her father usually pretended that she was nothing more than an unwelcome mouse that had scurried into his home, Riza didn't know how her father would do with her gone.

"I'm sure your father would not mind if you stayed with me," Grumman said, as if he had read Riza's thoughts.

_I think my father would very much mind, _Riza couldn't help but think, remembering how, on the few occasions that the two men were in the same room, there was always a horrible tension and how her father always glared daggers at the lovely man.

"I can talk to your father if that would also help," he added.

"I think… I think that I would like to stay with you for Christmas," Riza said after moment of thought.

"Lovely," he said, smiling warmly. "And I'm sure you'll be back at school for New Years so you can have fun with your little friends."

Riza smiled at him sheepishly before turning to stare out of the car window. For the first time in a very long time, Riza thought that she might act like every other student around this time, anticipating the break from school and the return to a place where they were loved.

* * *

"Winry, if you're not down here and in the car in three minutes, you're going to be late for your flight back to school!" Pinako yelled up the stairs to her granddaughter. "Hurry up!"

It was Saturday morning, her Thanksgiving vacation would end the following Monday, where Winry would be thrown back into school and finals at Amestris Academy. Now she was struggling to finish packing her things before her plane left without her. She had been planning on doing it the night before but Paninya and Winry chose instead to have a scary movie night the night before and they fell asleep in the living room.

"I'm coming!" Winry yelled back as she shoved downwards on her suitcase, which refused to close. "Come on," she growled to her suitcase. "Close, dammit!"

"Need some help?" Paninya asked, appearing in the doorway of Winry's bedroom.

"Yes," she said. "Sit on this while I close it."

"Can do," the girl said before she hopped onto the bag and smiled. "Who said sitting never accomplished anything?"

"I wouldn't know," Winry said as she zipped her stubborn suitcase closed. "But I'm sure whoever said it was wrong because I think there's a lot of things you can do while sitting."

"Yeah, like… talking," Paninya said, getting up.

"Drawing," Winry said, lifting the case up off of her bed.

"Eating," Paninya said, lifting up another bag of Winry's belonging.

"Changing government policies with sit-ins," Winry suggested, throwing Paninya off guard.

"Whoa, that's like, a real thing," she said. "I thought we were just coming up with random shit."

"Sorry," Winry said as the two walked down the steps. "But I have my Government final in two weeks and I think that might be on there."

"Whatever, ya weirdo."

"All packed?" Pinako asked once the two girls had reached the front door. "Not forgetting anything are you?"

"I don't think so," Winry said truthfully. "And if I did forget something, I'll be back here soon so… oh well…"

"Yes, well, we need to get you to your flight," she said, smiling slightly.

Winry nodded and followed her grandmother out of the house and down the front steps. After taking a few feet steps from the door, a large black dog ran towards them and knocked Winry to the ground.

"Den!" Winry yelled, annoyed with the dog's goodbye. "Get off of me!"

Den was a large black dog with white paws and a white mussel. She had been hiding somewhere on her grandmother's couple acres of land during the majority of Winry's visit and only now, when she was covered in mud and dirt, did she decide to come out and say hello to Winry.

"Den!" Pinako yelled, causing the dog to perk up and stop her attack on Winry. "Get off her! Go away! Shoo!"

Den barked loudly in reply, and went to jump as Paninya passed by Pinako shooed her away again. As the three women got into the truck, the dog sat on ground, looking forlorn. Winry waved at the dog and smiled, wishing she could play with her for a little longer. Unfortunately, she had a plane to catch. Fortunately, it was a plane taking her home… well, her temporary home, she guessed. It felt more home that this place did at least.

"I'll be back soon, Den!" Winry called as Pinako started the car.

Winry watched through the rearview mirror of Pinako's truck as Den raced after the truck and she felt her self wanting to smile and cry at the same time. At the moment, Den reminded her of herself. Running after something that she wouldn't be able to stop, just like how she had tried to stop her parents from leaving her behind but in the end, their minds were already made and there was no stopping them leaving.

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock._

Roy looked up from his seat on the living room couch, where his sisters were sitting around him, enjoying the last few moments of Roy being home.

"Someone get the door!" Ms. Mustang shouted from down the hall.

"It's probably Jean," Roy muttered, glancing at the clock on the VCR. "Excuse me, ladies," he said as he slowly disentangled himself from his clinging sisters so that he could answer the door.

"What's up, man?" Jean asked as Roy opened the door to reveal his blond friend.

"Nothing much," Roy responded, clapping Jean on the shoulder. He then backed up and let Jean through the door.

"Jean? Gross!" Vanessa shouted at the sight of the blond teen.

"Same to you, twerp," Jean said with a roll of his eyes; Vanessa responded with sticking her tongue, to which Jean flicked her off.

"Roy!" Vanessa yelled, scandalized. "Did you see what this idiot just did?"

"No but I'm sure it was lovely," Roy said dryly before turning to Jean and saying, "I'm gonna go grab my bags. I'll be back in a second. Behave. Both of you."

"So," Jean began, leaning against the nearby wall, "I heard you want to come to the Academy next year."

"That's the plan," Vanessa stated, glancing at Jean from over her shoulder. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing, nothing," Jean said. "I'm just looking out for you is all. Just want to make sure you know what you're getting into. Don't get high hopes though. Not everyone gets in, you know. They really check the grades."

"Well seeing as you got in and you're about as dumb as a post, I doubt they're checking the grades that hard," Vanessa said, earning a chorus of snickers from the girls and a scowl from Jean.

Jean opened his mouth to retort but with the arrival of Roy and his aunt, he seemed to think it best to swallow the thought. Vanessa smiled brightly at Ms. Mustang and Roy, which only caused Roy to wonder what the two were thinking about.

"So, you're taking a taxi up to the airport?" Ms. Mustang asked, as she lit up a cigarette; Roy smirked at Jean, who looked like he was about to jump on the woman for a chance at a smoke.

"Yes," Roy answered because Jean was too preoccupied; he gave the teen a firm shove with his elbow, breaking him from the spell.

"Um, yeah, the cab's waiting out front," he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

Ms. Mustang angled her head to the left and glanced out of the nearby window, probably to see if the taxi was still there or not. She then graced the two with a thin smile.

"Well, get there safely," she said. "Call me when you get to the school, alright?"

"I got it," Roy said, grinning, before he allowed her to hug him.

"Alright girls, come say goodbye to your brother."

"AH!" Roy yelled as five girls launched themselves on him at once. "Okay! Yeah! I love you guys too but I _really _gotta run!"

"Have I mentioned before how I'm so freaking happy that I'm an only child?" Jean asked as he watched the scene with mild amusement.

"Shut up, Havoc," Roy growled as he pulled the youngest girl off of his leg. "Well, I'll see you all in about three weeks for Christmas, I'm sure you can all hold out until then."

With the help of Jean, the two picked up Roy's belongings and walked out of the house and towards the taxi.

"I'm so pumped to get back to school," Jean said after he had given the taxi driver directions on where to go. "How about you?"

"Ehh, I'm not so pumped about the exams that'll be here soon," Roy muttered, staring out of the window.

"Shit…" Jean whispered, looking horrified.

"… You totally forgot about exams, didn't you?" Roy asked, feeling slightly exasperated about his friends lack of memory.

"Perhaps…" he said weakly.

"Are you about to start panicking?"

"Nope," Jean said with a shake of his head as he pulled out his cell phone and began banging at the keys.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"Seeing if Al can help me study for Algebra as soon as I get back."

* * *

**Oh Jean, you silly idiot. :P And some more Riza and Grumman. Also, what is up with those Elrics? Ed better listen to his mommy and go play nice with his friends... or not.**

**I hope you all stick around and keep reading. :) I'll try to get the next chapter up soonish.**

**-FSK  
**


	26. First Day Doozy

**Hey readers! :D**

**So I'm really sorry I haven't updated anything in a while but I've been kinda busy with trying to not fail my classes. :| But here's a new chapter that I can't wait for you all to read!**

**I'd like to thank my very helpful editor, Dani, and all of you readers who continue to deal with my somewhat sporatic updates.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

"Why are we learning new shit?" Jean grumbled as he tapped his pencil nervously against the desk in his Algebra II class that next Monday morning. "We have two more weeks of school and then vacation and then midterms. I can't learn and remember new shit by then."

"Hey! Watch your language, Havoc," Mr. Meehan berated as he walked into the class and glared at Jean, who tried his best to look apologetic.

"But seriously, why are we learning new stuff?" Jean asked, sitting down at his seat. "It's gonna take me like, two weeks to get it first and by then it'll be time for vacation and midterms and there won't be any time to go over other things."

"You don't even know what we're going to learn," he said as he straightened things on his desk.

"I'm sure it's gonna be like, the most difficult thing ever imagined," Rebecca said in a carrying voice; many people mumbled their agreements.

"Oh you kids are all a bunch of _whiners_!" he yelled in exasperation as he strode up to the front of the class. "Open you're books to page 394 and shut up."

Groaning and moaning, the class did as told and opened their books to the desired pages. Jean turned his head out the window and stared at the first few flakes of snow that had begun to fall and hoped for a blizzard tonight.

* * *

"So I hope everyone had a good break," Mr. Huston said as he began writing bits of today's lesson on the chalk board.

There was a collective mutter of students either agreeing or complaining about their holidays back home. Mr. Huston finished writing on the board and turned around. He then held up a thin paper-back novel.

"If we have time after class, we'll talk about the holidays but for right now, we have to talk about the Scarlet Letter."

There was a collective groan of annoyance from the class as they began digging for the elusive book they had been reading before break.

"Now, now," Mr. Huston said, smiling slightly at the class. "We've only got a bit more to read and then we'll have out test and then before you all know it, it'll be time for exams-"

Mr. Huston was cut off by an even louder groan from the students. At the mention of exams, apprehension and even fear could be seen in the faces of some of the students while annoyance and indifference could be seen on the others.

"But before exams, you've all got a nice long two week break where you can relax and forget everything we've learned," he finished, which earned a warmer reception. "Now, onto the Scarlet Letter…"

Winry flipped through the pages of her book idly while not paying Mr. Huston the slightest bit of attention. With her head resting in her hand, she glanced over down the row of seats at her friends, who all appeared to be in different degrees of day-dreaming. The only two who seemed to be with the class one-hundred percent were Riza and Gracia. Roy was doodling on pages of his notebook, looking just as bored as Winry felt, while Maes appeared to be paying attention but the glazed over look in his eyes told a different story. Winry could not help but notice that Edward seemed the most distracted as he appeared to be writing something in a journal while he referenced a thick textbook. Winry watched for a moment as his gold eyes flashed across the pages of the book. After watching the boy out of the corner of her eye for a while, she gave her head a shake and then tried to focus on the board and whatever the hell Mr. Huston was talking about.

* * *

"First day back after a break, no matter how long, is always a doozy," Maes said as he set his lunch tray down at their usual table in East Cafeteria that afternoon.

"Who the hell uses _doozy_ anymore?" Roy asked grumpily as he played with his food.

"I do, alright? And I'm bringing it back," the bespectacled teen said , earning a giggle from Gracia.

"Man, I don't think you can convince my _grandpa_ to use doozy again," Jean said, pointing his plastic fork at the teen.

"Can we stop saying doozy?" Rebecca snapped. "Because I swear to god, I'm about to start using it as a drinking game in like five god damn seconds."

Winry could not help but wince slightly at the mention of a drinking game; she had not yet forgotten the aftermaths of their little Halloween party and she was not very keen on the idea of drinking again very soon.

"Someone's in bad mood," Russell commented, glancing at the girl with mild interest.

"I am!" she declared, slamming her palms so hard on the table top that everyone's food shook slightly. "It's freaking Meehan!"

"What is it?" Winry asked while she noted that Riza made a slightly exasperated look.

"He asked me to stay back after class today I swear to god, he's riding me so hard about exams!" she shouted so loud that some neighboring tables turned and stared.

There were then a chorus of giggles and snorts and snickers seeing as there had just been the usage of the statement "riding me so hard" in the vicinity of teenage boys.

"I had the feeling Meehan was into high school girl but I didn't realize he was also into boys too," Roy said, pointing his plastic knife at Rebecca, who glared at him.

"Well Havoc better hope he is because the only way he's going to pass his midterm exam is by banging Meehan," she said easily, not bothered by Roy's comment in the least. "I doubt his inexperience would help him any though."

Jean scowled at his food and stabbed his plate of macaroni and cheese with his fork with so much force that it broke through the Styrofoam plate, although that was not saying much, while his friends laughed at his expense.

"Anywho, he keeps saying that if I plan on passing his test, I had better come in for some extra help or study like hell over the break."

"Were those his exact words?" Sheska asked.

"Yes actually," she muttered before she downed a large portion of her drink.

"I just wish it were break already," Sheska said with a sigh as she stared into her chicken noodle soup with a dreamy expression on her face.

"Why? Break can be kinda annoying when you really think about it," Jean said with a sigh as he messed up his already haywire locks.

"How do you figure that?" Riza asked, looking at the blond boy with mild confusion.

"I would think that someone as lazy as you would rather enjoy not having to go to class for two weeks," Ed muttered from behind his book.

"Yeah well I would enjoy them more if it weren't for the fact that the vacation is a total trap," Jean began.

"What do you mean by that?" Winry asked, slightly confused.

"You do know that we have exams the freaking day after we return from break, right?"

"Yeah I know that," she said slowly.

"Well there you go!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air. "I try and have fun while on my break but they ruin it by putting this little seed of guilt and worry at the back of my head and it makes me freak out about finals while I just need to play some video games and watch some T.V."

"Oh," Winry said. "Well that kinda actually makes sense for once."

"Thank you," he said.

"Well, I think I'm more pumped for the parties than anything," Sheska added.

"What parties?"

"You know, the dance the school holds the night before break starts?" she said. "And then there's our _awesome_ New Years party, of course."

"Now what's the Christmas party like?" Winry asked. "Is it any good or are we gonna go have a party of our own?"

"We go to this dance," Gracia informed her. "And we actually _stay _there too."

"And it's too much of a hassle to go out to the Island that night when we all have to be ready to leave in the morning," Roy finished.

"By which you mean you don't want to have to wake up early while being hung-over?" she asked with a grin.

"Basically," Al shrugged with a small smile.

"But the dance is really fun," Sheska added, looking very excited. "The music's good and well, it's pretty awesome!"

"You are saleswoman of the century," Roy said sarcastically, glancing at the girl.

"But after the dance, there are usually smaller parties in the Common Room of the dorms and we all hang out there." Rebecca finished. "No one really gives a shit about room checks or anything on that night so as long as you're inside a dorm, you're good."

"And if you can't manage to drag your ass to the elevator and down the hall to your room, you crash on the floor of where ever you are," Jean added.

"I remember last year I had to be at the airport at like, eight so I was up at six or some other ungodly hour of the morning," Jean started through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "And so I went downstairs to leave and man, it looked like a _bomb _had gone off or something. People just lying everywhere with shit all over the place. It was _beautiful."_

"Sounds fun," Winry commented, grinning apprehensively.

"Sure pissed off the maintenance when they got a look at what we did," Roy said, grinning broadly. "We got such an ear full when we all got back. Everyone in the dorm was assigned some sort of detention because no one could really say who started it."

"Remember last year what happened after the Ice Bitch caught the group of kids from North who snuck out after hours to go to some other dorms to party?" Maes asked with wide eyes. "That was terrifying."

"If I were ever put into North, I would try my hardest to transfer the hell out of there," Jean said with a shudder.

"I don't really think it's all that fair what Olivier does to them," Gracia said sympathetically. "It's like they're in prison. I don't know why Grumman doesn't realize what's going on. Or why he can't change the chain of command."

"Well at the very least she'll be gone after this year and then maybe they'll have some freedom," Riza said.

"Doubt it," Al said with a shake of his head. "She'll just be replaced by one of her little sidekicks."

"No one will be as bad as Olivier. No matter what," Roy said sternly. "I swear to god, that crazy bitch must live solely off of kittens and the souls of impoverished children."

The group laughed slightly at this new jab as the horrid resident advisor before they moved onto more pressing matters.

"So has anyone seen the exam schedule for this year yet?" Riza asked, which earned several loud groans from some at the table. She gave the complainers a hard look before she said, "I'm just wondering, geez. You have like, a month before they're here."

More groans.

"There's a list up in the Commons somewhere," Maes answered, as one of the few at the table who actually took exams seriously.

"Yeah but I'm sure it's got nothing but penises and swastikas drawn all over it," she said with a groan, which made Winry realized that there really was not a sign on all of campus that did not have either a cartoon penis or a swastika, even those in the classrooms.

"Go into the mail room," Gracia suggested. "There would probably be one in there and not that many people go in there if they can help it."

"I'll check it out after class."

"Um, what are exams like here?" Winry asked, feeling a little bit of apprehension fill her.

"Depends on the class but I actually really like the exam schedule," Gracia said, which earned her several horrified looks from the table. "I mean, you get out at least an hour early every day and then on two of the days, you get to sleep in because your first exam doesn't start until nine-thirty! Who can complain over that?"

"I can," Roy, Rebecca, and Jean said simultaneously.

"You get so freaking stressed over each test," Rebecca started. "Because if you totally fuck up, the school contacts your parents and you're completely screwed there."

"And the headaches that come with staring at questions and equations and exerts over and over and over again!" Roy complained.

"And the hand cramps you get from writing for hours on end!" Jean finished.

"Hmm, I thought you would be used to hand cramps, Jean," Rebecca quipped, smirking at the teen.

"Oh, _ha-ha_," he said acidly, rolling his eyes. "But any ways, exams suck and they should all just go to hell."

The discussion was dropped with the arrival of the bell which signified the ending of lunch.

* * *

"Everyone listen up!" Ms. Cole shouted over the clatter of her cooking class while her students got settled into their seats. "Now I would like to remind you that in a little more than a month, you will be taking your first semester exams. For this class, as some may remember from my syllabus, you will need to make at least one item of an average level of degree for me that we have studied this semester. During class today, I would like you to peruse the list and tell me what you will be making."

While half of the class began to scramble over previous recipes that they had done, trying to decide which one they would be doing, Winry, Gracia, Alphonse, Maria, and Mei sat at the back table, relaxing.

"Well I know what I'm doing," Winry said with a smile on her face.

"And if you don't get a one-hundred percent, I think I may have to kill myself," Al said cringing slightly from the memory of all the apples he had been forced to eat.

"Why? What are you doing, Winry?" Maria asked.

"I'm making an apple pie," she answered. "I was kinda practicing a lot earlier and made Al my guinea-pig."

"Why?" she asked. "Are you like, worried about failing the class or something?"

"I just want a good grade is all," Winry lied, feeling her checks warm up slightly while Al gave her a look out of the corner of his eye. "What are you planning on doing, Maria?"

"I don't know," she admitted calmly. "Maybe I'll make one of the cakes we made. I did fine on that and it's pretty easy."

"I think I might make that breaded chicken," Al said, browsing his notebook. "Pretty easy thing to do."

"Yours was really good, Al," Gracia said. "I'm sure you'll get a hundred percent."

"An A at the very least," he said with a shrug before he turned to Mei, who was sitting quietly staring at her own notes, and asked, "What are you going to make, Mei?"

The small, dark-haired girl's head sprung up and stared at Al with huge and surprised eyes for a moment while her face slowly changed to a bright red. She then let her head drop and she shrugged as she fumbled with her notebook. Al, feeling himself going a little red, exchanged confused glances with the girls at his table, hoping for some sort of answer to Mei's actions. While Maria looked just as confused as Al, Winry and Gracia seemed to have realized something by the way they were whispering quietly and quickly to each other. He'd just have to ask them what they knew after class.

Some time later, the bell rung, dismissing everyone from the class and Al rushed after Winry and Gracia so that he could ask them what they so obviously knew.

"You know," Al said after Winry and Gracia had decided to play dumb. "Come on. Why won't you tell me?"

Winry and Gracia stopped in their tracks and together they gave Al exasperated looks he had seen given to Jean, Roy, and especially Ed.

"Oh, Al," Gracia said with a small shake of her head and a sad smile.

"What?" he asked in annoyance.

Gracia let out a deep sigh, exchanged a look with Winry, who rolled her eyes ever so slightly, and then said in a calm voice one might use on an over emotional toddler, "Well, it's just… the thing is, you're_ exactly_ like your brother."

"Huh?"

"In the _worst _ways," Winry added, giving him a rather scornful look that only confused the blond boy more.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not gonna spell it out for you!" Winry shouted, earning the attention of some passing students. "You know what? You Elrics are supposed to be geniuses but I can't help but think you're complete and utter dumb-fucks when it comes to things like girls!"

"What are you talking about?" Al exclaimed.

"Like I said, I'm not going to tell you if you're too dense to figure it out yourself," Winry said before she looped her arm with Gracia's and said to her a slightly calmer voice, "Let's go before we're late to class."

"Right," she said calmly but by the way the corners of her mouth were twitching, she appeared to be rather close to laughter.

Alphonse watched as the two girls left him standing there in the sea of kids, feeling more confused than he had ever felt before in his life.

"What just happened?"

* * *

"Hey, Win, heard you totally chewed out Al today," Jean said as he lounged on the floor of Winry's dorm room after classes that afternoon.

Jean lay sprawled on the middle of the floor, Sheska and Rebecca sat on Sheska's bed, and Gracia sat on Sheska's comfortable computer chair, holding a thick textbook in her hands. Winry ignored Jean's comment and glanced at Gracia, silently asking why there were so many people in her room when she just wanted some piece and quiet to calm her bad mood.

"Well Jean and Rebecca asked me for some help with their Algebra exam," Gracia answered calmly. "But we seem to have a problem of staying on track.

"Not to sound rude or anything," Winry said tiredly as she hung up her coat on her desk chair and tossed her books onto the ground with caring how or where they landed, "but why aren't you doing this in one of your _own _rooms?"

"Well Roy's playing some video game in their room," Gracia answered.

"And it smells god-awful in there," Jean added.

"So we can't really study in there," she finished.

"And Riza's off doing some sort of extra curricular and the door's locked," Rebecca stated, kicking her feet into the air childishly.

"And why can't you just unlock it yourself?" Winry asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Because I may have left my key in the room again so I'm kinda stuck here until like, six or something," Rebecca admitted, causing Winry to realize that while her other friends were dressed down in regular clothes, Rebecca was still wearing her school clothes.

"Alright," Winry sighed before she walked to the wardrobe and began pulling out a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. "You can borrow some of my clothes if you want you know."

"I'm good," Rebecca said with a shrug.

"Well… I'm gonna go change," she sighed, rubbing her temple and thinking of taking some aspirins.

"You can change right here," Jean said, smirking. "I don't mind."

"You wish," Winry said, rolling her eyes, before she disappeared into the bathroom where she quickly changed and then threw her school clothes into a jumbled mess in the corner.

"Why are you so late anyhow?" Sheska asked as her roommate reappeared; it was almost five o'clock and school had ended almost and hour ago.

"Oh I had to go get a reference book for that government paper," she answered with a shrug.

"Oh," Sheska nodded.

"Urig's so dumb," Rebecca exclaimed. "Why does he want us to have one non internet source? It's _dumb!_"

"Tell me about it," Winry said as she sat down at her desk and began digging through it in search for her wonderful bottle of headache medicine. Once she found the bottle, she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, popped open the bottle and shook out two little tablets before she swallowed them with water.

"Are you alright?" Gracia asked as her friend tossed the bottle of pills onto her desk and picked up something else from the desk.

"If tired with a major headache is alright then I guess so," Winry muttered before she pushed her blond hair from her face and climbed the ladder up to her bed and jumped onto it.

"Do you want us to leave?" Sheska asked, standing up so that she could look at her friend.

"Nah, I'm good," Winry said as she crawled under her covers and placed her ear buds into her ears. "Just wake me up when you're gonna leave for dinner."

"Alright."

* * *

"What is up, Alphonse?" Ed asked as he pulled him and about twenty books into their room.

Al looked up from his bed, where he had been lying since he had come back from classes, thinking over what Winry had said to him, and watched as Ed shook the snow from his long hair and tossed his jacket randomly onto the ground.

"Hey, Ed?" Al asked quietly.

"What is it, Al?" Ed asked as he began sorting the books.

"Do you… do you think we're exactly the same?"

"Well… you're cleaner than me and you seem to have a better control over your temper… and less control over your alcohol," he added with a smirk at his younger brother, who frowned, "but I'd say that yeah, we're pretty alike. Why?"

"Nothing. Someone said that I was just like you," Al said calmly, not meeting his brother's eyes.

"Well, not everyone can be so lucky as to be just like me."

* * *

**I love Winry's freakout so much. And I love Ed and his cockiness. :P**

**So, hopefully I can update again within a month but don't cross your fingers. :|**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please drop a review my way! :D**

**-FSK  
**


	27. Mission Accomplished?

**Happy April Fool's day guys! :D**

**Lucky for you guess, I'm not one of those writers who chooses this day to post a pointless chapter... even though that would be fun as hell... but so is torturing readers with actual chapters. So I think I'll just stick to my normal forms of torture. :P**

**I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter and thank my helpful Editor Dani, for looking over another chapter for me. :)**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

"Guys! Did you see the notice?" Rebecca asked as she ran towards the cafeteria table a few days later.

"What notice?" Winry asked, pausing in between eating her helping of lukewarm soup.

"They just put it up in the Common while I was leaving," Rebecca said in a rush as she pulled out a chair next to Maes. "But they rescheduled the trip into town from this weekend to _next_ weekend."

"What?"

"Well, there goes my plans on studying for finals," Jean said sarcastically as he stretched his long arms above his head.

"But _Winry!_" Rebecca exclaimed, turning to the blond girl with wide eyes. "We _have_ to take you to this adorable dress shop and get you something _amazing_ to wear for the dance!"

"Do you mind if I don't come with you while you go dress shopping?" Roy asked dryly.

"I wasn't talking to you, Mustang," Rebecca snapped before she turned back to Winry with her overexcited expression back on her face. "But there's his cute dress shop in town and since most girls here brought dresses with them, there should be plenty there."

"Alright," Winry said with a nod, thinking of how she had not brought any really nice clothes to school. She did not think of having to dress up when she first packed her clothes.

"I need to get a new pair of shoes," Sheska added. "I bought that new dress over the summer and I never got a chance to find shoes to go with it."

"And I want to try and get Riza here a new dress," Rebecca said, grinning at Riza, who looked particularly displeased. "Come on. You can't look just a tiny bit sexy?"

Riza did not grace this comment with a verbal response but instead chose to glare at Rebecca, who continued to smile widely at her roommate.

"So that's a maybe?"

* * *

A week later on Saturday morning, Winry found herself being shaken awake a little later than she would have had to get up on a school day by Rebecca and Gracia, who were both fully dressed, bundled up against the winter cold and wearing expressions of glee. Winry could hear Sheska groaning underneath her as she slowly woke up.

"Are there busses leaving _this_ early?" Winry groaned as she checked the time on her cell phone, feeling exhausted seeing as she had gone to bed somewhere around five hours ago.

"Yup," Rebecca said, nodding her head. "And we want to get into town and get shopping before all the good stuff's taken."

"I thought you said most girls already had dresses and stuff," Winry groaned as she sat up and rubbed her tired eyes.

"Yeah, _most_ girls," Rebecca said with a roll of her eyes to Gracia.

"I still don't get your reasoning for waking me up this early on a Saturday," Winry whined, staring blankly at the two girls.

"Ugh, you explain it to her, Gracia!" Rebecca exclaimed in exasperation as she threw her arms up into the air.

Winry turned her limited attention to Gracia, who smiled tiredly at her before she said calmly and slowly, "She thinks that the few girls who haven't gotten what they needed will be out for blood."

"Oh."

"Yeah and I want to make sure you get a hot dress!" Rebecca shouted, which earned a groan from Sheska, who still seemed to be in the realm in-between consciousness and unconsciousness. "I'm just looking out for you, girl!"

"I'm sure I'll find something," Winry sighed as she reluctantly pulled her blankets off of her and slipped down to the floor, where she instantly began to shiver like mad.

"Yeah and something might be a potato sack with arm and head holes if you don't hurry up!"

"Shut _up_, you drill sergeant!" Winry shouted as she began rifling through a pile of clean clothes that were a mix of Winry and Sheska's.

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up!" Rebecca yelled, clapping her hands for emphasis. "Get those clothes on! We have a mission!"

"And one might think that this mission was like, a mission to save the world with how you're acting," Winry muttered through the bathroom door.

"It's a mission to save_ your_ world, Win, so I would be a little more grateful!"

"What are you talking about?" the blond girl asked, pausing in the act of pulling on a pair of jeans.

"I'm talking about getting you a slamming dress that'll make Ed finally realize what a total hottie you are!" Rebecca shouted much too loudly for Winry's liking, seeing as Ed was just down the hall and could even be passing by her room right this second.

"Can you be quiet about those kinds of things," Winry hissed as she poked her head out of the bathroom door, partially dressed.

"Why?" Rebecca asked. "Like, the whole world can tell you want to get into his pants."

"Well, that is except for Ed," Gracia added.

"Whatever," Winry growled with a shake of her head as she ducked back into the bathroom to finish getting dressed.

* * *

"Here it is!" Rebecca declared over almost an hour later as Rebecca, Winry, Sheska, Gracia, and Riza stood in front of the modest dress shop, which was thankfully open at this early hour.

Winry stared into the shop through the window displays; there did not appear to be anyone in the shop yet, which annoyed her slightly, seeing as Rebecca had pulled her out of bed so early without letting her grab more than a granola bar from her room before she was pulled out into the cold.

_But maybe the dress will change Ed's mind_, Winry could not help but think, even though she had the feeling that deep down, Ed was not one to be swayed with shinny objects.

Rebecca gripped her hand tightly, breaking Winry out of her mind set, and pulled her into the shop, a small bell rung when they opened the door. A female voice from somewhere in the back yelled welcome to them and said that she'd be with them in a moment.

"This place is so cool," Gracia said as she looked around at the rather large collection of formal wear.

Winry could not help but notice that some clothes looked brand new and other looked as if they had come straight out of another era. She had never been in a shop like this ever before. She began walking up and down a few isles, looking for something that might pop out at her.

"Good morning, girls."

Winry looked up and saw an older woman come out of the back, looking a little exhausted with her graying hair placed in a rather messy bun on top of her head along with the dark circles under her eyes.

"What can I help you with?"

"Hi, we're looking for a new dress for the dance up at the academy for her," Rebecca said boldly, pointing at Winry, "and her." She turned and pointed her finger at Riza, who looked just as thrilled to be here as any of the guys would if they were dragged here. Instead, the guys were all lying in their beds, dead asleep.

"I told you I don't need a new dress, Rebecca," Riza growled, scowling slightly at her friend, who did not look undeterred in the least.

"You're getting a new dress," she said sternly.

"I'm not paying for it," Riza said stiffly.

"Well that's fine," Rebecca said with a shrug. "This'll just be my Christmas present to you then."

And without much more fighting or arguing, the girls set to work rushing through the store, turning it upside down, and searching through every inch of the place until the girls had found what they had needed.

* * *

"Where is everyone?"

Jean, Roy, Maes looked up from their seats at the diner to see Ed, Al, Russell, and Fletcher, looking cold and tired.

"Hey guys," Maes said, mildly surprised that the blond boys had shown up for a day out of the school grounds. "The girls are all out shopping for their dance clothes."

"And I'm rather surprised you're not there, Hughes," Ed said as he sat down. "I would have expected you to be out picking out dresses for Gracia and holding all of her bags for her like the whipped thing you are."

"What you call whipped I call being in a relationship," Maes said, pointing at Ed, who looked rather unfazed.

"Well I guess you all can see a reason why I have avoided all relationships," he said dryly before he snuck a fry off of Maes's plate.

"Yeah, that's the reason why you're single," Roy scoffed. "it's totally not because you're a huge nerd and no woman could ever stand you."

"What about you-know-who?" Jean said in a purposely loud whisper to Roy, looking at Ed with wide eyes.

"Well she doesn't know any better," Russell said, looking at Ed, who seemed a little confused. He then reached out and squeezed Ed's face with one of his hands and gave it a little shake. "All she sees is this pweddy wittle face."

"Stop!" Ed yelled, ripping his face from his friends hand while the other boys laughed. Ed scowled and tried to regain some sort of dignity and after a moment, he looked up at Jean, looking annoyed and asked, "Who the hell are you talking about? Who's 'you-know-who'?"

"Well you see Ed, maybe if you weren't so dense, you would know who we were talking about," Roy said as he dipped a fry into his milkshake, grinning.

"I am not dense," Ed said, face pouting ever so slightly.

"Ed, if you're not dense, then I'm a fucking genius," Jean said with a laugh.

"You know, dense isn't really the right word," Al said cautiously as he watched his brother build up steam which would inevitably turn into a bomb. "How about-"

"Unbelievably oblivious?" Maes offered.

"Blind?" Jean suggested.

"Oh, I got one," Roy said, smiling smugly before he pointed a French fry at Ed, who seemed close to an explosion any moment now. "_Derelict._ Vocab word."

"Uh guys?" Al said hesitantly, staring at Ed and the vein twitching in his temple.

All of the guys shut up at the sight of Ed so obviously close to explosion, waiting to see who would earn the brunt of the anger and insanity. Finally, after a rather long amount of time, Ed spoke in a deadly quiet voice.

"You know, one of these days when we're coming back from a trip on the island, I might just push one of your _drunken asses_ into the water," he growled, shaking visibly with contained rage.

"Like hell you would," Roy said, smirking ever so slightly.

"Wanna bet?" Ed countered, glaring at the dark-haired boy.

Al watched nervously as the two teenaged boys glared at each other, both waiting for the other to falter and when neither did, Maes and Al stepped in and pushed the two stubborn boys away, ending the stalemate.

"Anyone up for some sledding?" Jean offered as he stared out at the white powder that covered every inch of the tiny town.

"Do you have a sled?" Russell asked.

"No but I'm sure we could find a substitute."

"Like what?" Maes asked.

"Garbage can lid?" Jean offered. "I've seen it done in the movies all the time."

"Right, well, you get on that and tell us how that works out for you," Ed said.

"You're on."

* * *

"And what have you learned?" Ed asked Jean slowly a half an hour later, as Jean lay facedown in the snow with his head perpendicular to the large tree he had just run into after his garbage can lid had left him on his ride down the enormous snow and ice covered hill.

"Trash can lids are not good sleds," Jean's muffled voice said through a layer of snow.

"Good job," Ed said as he kicked a large pile of snow into Jean's face as he brought it up out of the snow.

The others stood a few feet away, laughing their asses off at the video footage of Jean's major fail down the hill. Ed turned and walked away from the blond boy, who still seemed rather dazed, and began walking back into town, feeling better than he had before now that he had had a good laugh.

* * *

"One more day," Rebecca sighed on Monday during lunch as she sat on her bed back in the dorm rooms. "One more day. Then we can get out of here and relax."

"And then we can come back for our own little party," Sheska added, smiling.

"But before that we have the dance," Gracia said with a smile.

"Yeah and you and Maes can be all gushy and crap," Rebecca sighed, pointing her plastic fork at Gracia.

"And you can hook up with some random senior at the snack table," Gracia said with a grin which made Rebecca blush for whatever reason.

"Maybe," she said, staring out the window with a blank expression on her face. "Or I'll just hang out with my single ladies for the night."

Sheska raised her hand and began doing her best impression of Beyonce she could manage, which caused everyone in the room to become overcome with laughter.

"Riza, are you going to be a single lady with me?" Rebecca asked with a grin, looking back to normal.

"Most definitely," the blond girl said, suppressing a smile.

"And Winry?" Rebecca asked, giving Winry a serious look. "I do not want you to be a single lady with us losers at the dance."

"Who are you calling a looser?" Riza asked, scowling at her friend.

"Um, yeah, about that…" Winry stuttered as she began playing with her food. "I don't know if I'll be able to asked Ed…"

"And why not?" Gracia asked.

"Well, I just don't know if it'd be worth it," Winry said with a shrug, feeling her face heat up. "I doubt he'd want to go to the dance anyhow."

"Well maybe if he had you as an incentive he would," Rebecca said with wide eyes.

"But…"

"And that apple pie will sure to soften him up," Gracia added confidently.

"But what if he says no anyhow?" Winry asked pathetically.

"And what if he says yes?" Rebecca asked. "Just man up, grow some balls, and ask him."

Winry stared at her lunch while she tried to think of a reason to not ask Ed to the dance. It was not that she did not want to go with him, because she did. But Winry had remembered the humiliation she felt when she asked her crush in sixth grade to her first dance and he head laughed at her and said no to her in front of a huge group of other kids, who laughed at her as well. After she had _accidentally_ stomped on his foot, she ran to the bathroom, crying, completely humiliated.

"You do still like him, don't you?" Gracia asked.

"…Yes," Winry said quietly, feeling her face heat up.

"Well then do what Rebecca said and get your courage up and go out and ask him!" Sheska yelled passionately. "You've only got a little over a day to ask him out. Better late then never."

Winry looked up and stared at all of her friends, all of whom were giving her encouraging looks, and knew that she would just have to ask the blond boy, if not for her but for the happiness of her friends.

"Fine," Winry said slowly. "I'll ask him after classes tonight."

"Atta girl!" Rebecca shouted, messing up her friend's brushed blond hair with her hands. "Go get your man!"

"Right," Winry muttered, feeling embarrassed, thinking of the question she was about to ask her friends.

"What?" Riza asked, noticing her friend's concentration.

"Well… this may seem dumb but…"

"But what?" Sheska asked.

"…How do you ask a guy out?"

* * *

"So are you going to do it?" Al asked Winry a little later in the cooking class, watching as Winry worked on her apple pie.

"What?" Winry asked, caught off guard.

"Are you going to ask my oblivious brother to the dance?" Al said quietly, smiling slightly at Winry, who blushed slightly at the words. "Because you do know that the dance is tomorrow and even though no one's probably gonna ask him, you might want to get a move on it."

"I'm working on it," Winry whispered, sounding annoyed. "Has anyone asked _you _yet?"

"No," Al said, looking slightly disappointed.

"Do you have your eyes on anyone?"

"Not specifically," he said, shrugging.

"Well if you want to go out with a girl, grow some balls and go and ask a girl instead of waiting around for a girl to ask _you_," Winry snapped as she placed her pie dough in her tin.

"Um… right," Al said, giving Winry a slightly skeptical look. He then muttered something about needing a measuring cup and walked away from the frazzled blond teen, unaware that a pair of dark eyes were covertly following his every move.

* * *

_Just do it. Just do it_, Winry told herself as she clutched onto her finished apple pie like it was a life line, staring through the book shelve to the next isle, where a certain blond boy stood, searching the shelves. _Just do what Rebecca told you to. Even if it's kinda dumb…_

Mustering all of her courage, Winry took a few hesitant steps forwards, watching Ed move down the next isle in the same fashion, unaware of what was happening on the other side of the shelve. She moved with Ed as he moved down the row and stopped when he stopped. Finally, he reached the end and as he began to move slowly out of the row, Winry knew that it was either now or never.

"_Ouf!_"

"_Hey!_"

As Ed moved to step into the next row of books, Winry stepped forwards, running into the blond head on. She fell to the ground, clutching onto the pie for dear life, not wanting a single crumb to be moved, while Ed managed to stay upright, almost dropping his books on Winry. Winry looked up at Ed, her heart fluttering, knowing that it was indeed now or never.

"Sorry, Winry," Ed said. "I guess I didn't see you there."

"Uh, right," Winry said after a moment's hesitation. She stayed on the ground a beat longer than what was necessary, seeing if Ed would help her up. Winry got up as gracefully from the ground as she could, doing her best to keep the pie in view. "So, are you studying for finals?"

"Uh, yeah," Ed muttered, glancing at the thick books he had under one arm; the titles were not in view so Winry could not see what they were for.

"Oh well, I was just finishing up my project for my cooking class," Winry said shakily, gesturing to the box in her hand. "We have to make something…" she added lamely, her voice dying away in nervousness.

"Right, yeah, Al was talking about that," he said before he shook his head. "I still can't believe Al ditched us to go cook with some girls."

"Well he's pretty good at it," Winry said quickly, hoping to steer the conversation back to Winry's project. "He's um, doing this uh, breaded chicken. It's really good…"

"Right," Ed said, not looking at Winry, clearly wanting to be somewhere else.

Panicking slightly, Winry reached out a hand, maybe to possibly stop him if he tried to leave, she was not quiet sure at this point, and when she spoke, her voice was much too loud and was rather obviously worried.

"I'm making an apple pie, you know!"

At the words 'apple pie', Ed instantly perked up and looked at her with wide eyes; it was almost comical. His gold colored eyes zoomed in on the cardboard box in her hand and Winry could almost see him putting two and two together.

"So… is that you're apple pie?" Ed asked, eyes flicking from Winry to the box.

"Yup," Winry said, trying her best to sound calm as possible. "Do you want to try a piece?"

"Well if you don't mind," Ed said quickly, obviously dying to try a piece.

Smiling, Winry opened the box and allowed him to grab a section of her previous cut pie. She watched as Ed sunk his teeth into the golden crust, releasing a moan a delight. Now, Winry knew, while his defenses were low, she knew she had to strike.

"So you know there's the dance tomorrow?" Winry asked, feeling her heart rate increase drastically.

"Wha…? Oh. Right," Ed muttered through a mouthful of pie, preoccupied with other things which involved eating delicious pie. He lifted up his almost demolished slice and said, "This is really good, you know."

"Thanks," Winry said, feeling thrilled over the compliment. "But um, so, do you think you'd be into going?"

"Uh, I might," Ed said as he swallowed his last bit of pie and then turned to glance at the open box.

"You can have another slice," Winry said, knowing what Ed wanted.

"Thanks! This stuff really is amazing."

"Yeah well…" she muttered, loosing her confidence. "Uh, about the dance?"

"Hmm?"

"So are you going a-alone?"

"Well, I'm going with the guys I guess," Ed muttered, shrugging.

"That's uh, um…" Winry stuttered, trying to remember the lines Rebecca had fed her earlier but when she thought of nothing, Winry forced herself to think of her own words. "Well, would you think about going with anyone besides the guys?"

"Ehh, maybe," Ed muttered vaguely through another mouthful.

"W-well, uh, would you maybe want to go like, with, uh, with me? Possibly?" Winry stuttered, heart going a hundred miles an hour.

When Ed did not give her an answer immediately, Winry's brain went into overdrive, forcing her to spew out random stutters that probably only make Ed think she was absolutely bonkers.

"I-I mean, I'm going with the uh, the girls so I mean, we could like, I don't know, meet up," Winry said, her words jumbling all together in her head. "_You _with the guys, _me_ with the girls; it makes sense, r-right? We could like, like hang out _together_, within the group, _maybe_…? If you don't mind…"

After her completely insane ravings, there was an odd silence that resonated afterwards, only making things worse in Winry's opinion. She now wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball in her room and drop all of her class that involved Ed.

_Look at how he's looking at you,_ Winry thought miserably, glancing at Ed, who was indeed giving her a weird look. _He thinks you're a _complete_ idiot. Why did you have to talk so much? Why couldn't you have just shut up and played it cool?_

"Hey, Winry."

Winry looked up, dying for some sort of answer, but felt a part of her crumble when she saw Ed focusing on his cell phone instead of her. Couldn't he at least look at her when he was going to say no?

_What makes you think he's going to say no?_ Winry asked herself before she could not help but laugh at herself and think, _Of _course _he's going to say no. You just spewed crazy juice all over him. This is worse than barfing on his shoes…_ Winry was then filled with fresh embarrassment over the incident she felt she would never live down. _Oh man, I don't think there will ever be a single moment that I can look back on with the two of us were I won't want to leave the country…_

"So, thanks for the pie but I really gotta go," Ed muttered shoving his phone back into his pants pocket.

"But the um, the dance," Winry said in a dying voice, feeling absolutely mortified.

"Oh, right," Ed said, stopping in his tracks. He turned and gave Winry a small smile and said, "I'll see you there, right?"

"Right," Winry muttered, smiling weakly. "M-maybe we can talk more there? Together?"

"Totally," Ed said with a nod, backing up from her. "See ya."

"Bye," Winry said quietly as she watched Ed jog out of the library, hopefully not in a hurry to get away from her.

* * *

**So... what do you think will happen at the little dance? Will Ed and Win FINALLY get together? Or will this only be another bump in the road? Stick around and find out next chapter! :D**

***groan* My spring break is now over... but this means I've only got one more quarter of my Junior year and then I'll be a freaking Senior! :D**

**Hope you drop a review my way, thanks for reading!**

**-FSK  
**


	28. The Highs

**Yay for updates! :D**

**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed last chapter! You're awesome. And thank you to my wonderful Editor, Dani, who is working hard to look over my lazy grammar skills. Thanks, Dani, you're awesomer. :D**

**So, last time we were here, Win finally stuttered out THE QUESTION to Ed and Ed... well, we really don't know what Ed did.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"So… was that a yes or a no?" Rebecca asked a half and hour later back up in the dorm rooms.

Winry had just run back to her dorm, up three flights of steps, and down the hall to her friends to recount the story, minus the horrible stuttering and nerves on her part. Riza sat at her desk while Gracia and Sheska sat on the lower bunk; Rebecca stood in the center of the room, staring at Winry with her arms crossed across her chest.

"Well… I thought it was a yes," Winry muttered, suddenly feeling unbelievably foolish for thinking Ed's answer had been definitive. "It's better than a no, right?"

"I don't know," Rebecca muttered, turning away from Winry.

"What do you mean 'I don't know'?"

"And maybe the fact that there's not a lot of pressure will be a good thing," Gracia suggested, clearly trying to calm down Winry, who was looking rather worried. "You know, you guys could just have fun and warm up to each other. Get to know each other."

"That really doesn't sound like that bad of an idea," Riza said with a nod.

Winry groaned and sunk to the ground, wishing only to crawl under the floor boards and maybe die. She covered her face with her hands and groaned once more, hoping that when she moved her hands away, she would be in her room alone.

"It'll be fine, Winry," Sheska said kindly. "Remember that dress we got? You'll knock him dead by the end of the night."

"Yeah and who cares if you're not really together right now because once he sees you after we've polished you up, he'll definitely want to be with you," Gracia added.

"It'll be fine, Win," Rebecca said, crouching down in front of her and smiling.

"Are you sure?" Winry asked quietly.

"Totally."

Winry removed her hands from her face and stared at her friends for a moment before she smiled tiredly and sighed, trying her best to push away all her doubts. She pushed herself up off of the ground and smiled more confidently at the girls, showing them that she agreed with them and that she would at least try to knock Ed dead with her looks.

"That's the spirit," Rebecca said with a grin. "When we're done with you, every boy on campus is going to want you."

* * *

"Today is _such_ a pointless day," Roy muttered as he hugged his pillow to his face Tuesday morning in an attempt to block out the light coming from the lamp that was situated a few feet away. He could hear Maes moving about the room, always the first of the three to get ready.

"That it is," Maes said, reappearing into the room from the bathroom.

"Well then how about we all skip and don't go to our dumb classes where we don't do anything and have some fun before we're dragged off to the dance," Roy suggested, still talking into his pillow.

"Second," Jean muttered from somewhere in the depths of his bedding.

"You in, Maes?"

"You know I would," Maes said as he sat down and began buttoning up his shirt. "But what's the point when you say it every year and you never go through with it."

"It's not my fault," Roy said, finally picking his head up out of his pillow so he could stare at his friend with tired eyes.

"Well maybe if you weren't such a baby, you could sleep in," Maes said with a laugh.

"Oh, and you're going to stand there and say that you're not afraid of her?"

"I'm not afraid of her," Maes said as he moved towards the door that lead out into the hall. "I just agree with her most of the time so I do not feel the need to go against her."

"Bullshit," Jean groaned.

There was a knock at the door and Roy let his body collapse into his bed, knowing what was coming up next. Maes grinned at his friend before he opened the door to find Riza standing there, fully dressed and wide awake.

"Hello, Riza," Maes said with a smile.

"Hello, Maes," Riza responded before she looked around the bespectacled boy and stared at the two lumps there were Jean and Roy. "You boys better be up and ready for class today."

"We know," Jean muttered wearily.

"Or else you'll be spending the first week after finals cleaning class rooms," Riza finished.

"Because you would rather turn in your friends than allow rules to be broken?" Roy asked, looking up at the blond girl.

"If it's for the best."

"Well is drinking illegally in an area we're not supposed to be for the best?" Roy asked. "Because if it isn't, than I'm afraid you might be something of a hypocrite."

Maes and Jean, who's head peeked out from underneath his blankets, stared with wide eyes at the two, waiting for the fireworks that were sure to start any moment now. Roy seemed to be waiting too as he stared unblinkingly into Riza's narrowed eyes. Finally, after almost an entire minute of silence, Riza spoke in a deadly quiet voice.

"I hope that comment was worth it."

And with that, she spun on her heal and marched away from the door. Maes let out a low whistle and turned to look at Roy, who seemed paler than he had been a minute ago.

"Man you are going to get killed or something," Maes said, staring at his friend with pity in his eyes. "Why did you say that anyhow?"

"Because it's not fair!" Roy exclaimed as he crawled out of his bed. "She get's to break rules and no one yells at her but when we try and break a few extra, we get shit rained down on us from her secret black file."

"Well she does kinda break the least rules out of all of us," Maes muttered with a shrug. "And she's doing her job making sure kids are getting their asses out of bed."

"Whatever," Roy muttered, rubbing his messy hair. "Let's just get this day over with."

* * *

"I need to finish packing," Winry muttered with her head in her hand as she stared blankly across the crowded classroom. Mr. Huston had declared that today would be a free day, seeing as he would have to work too hard to get everyone's attention.

"Do it during our free period," Gracia suggested, moving her head away from her boyfriend's.

"No way will you have the strength to do it in the morning," Maes said with a smile. "It's a rookie mistake."

"Have you done it before?"

"Yeah and if I'm ever in the position where I need to leave and I haven't finished packing, I'm just leaving with what I have packed and I'll deal with it," Maes said, grinning. "It's just not worth the hassle."

"I'll remember that," Winry said with a smile before she was distracted by the vibrating of her cell phone in her coat pocket. Not caring if Mr. Huston saw or not, because she knew he would probably do nothing if he caught her with her phone, Winry pulled out her phone and saw that she had just received a new text message from Sheska.

**Omg! ! ! kain just asked me 2 the dance! ! :D**

Blinking in surprised, Winry desperately tried to remember who this Kain kid was but for the life of her, she could not remember. Some friend she was…

"Hey, Gracia?"

"Huh?"

"Do you know some kid named Kain?" Winry asked as she typed in her response: _What'd you say?_

"Kain Fuery?" Gracia asked. "He's a kid in our grade who lives in South. He's in our government class."

"Oh," Winry muttered, thinking of how she rarely paid attention in government class so it was hardly a surprise that she could not remember the boy. "What does he look like?"

"A little short. Dark hair and glasses. Kinda nerd cute," Gracia listed.

"You think some other guy is _cute?_" Maes asked, looking up at Gracia with a fearful expression in his eyes.

"I would never think anyone is as cute as you are, sweetie," Gracia said sweetly before she placed a kiss on Maes's check.

Winry turned away as the two teens melted together in a large pot of gushy, sappy love. She was not in the mood to have to sit by such public displays of affection. Winry grabbed her purse and walked over to where Riza sat, reading a book quietly, seemingly blocking out all the noise around her.

"Hey," Winry said, pulling out a chair across from her.

"What's up?" Riza asked as she placed a bookmark in her spot in the book and placed it to the side.

"Do you know who Kain Fuery is?" Winry asked before she glanced down at her phone, feeling the vibration, and read Sheska's exclamation point heavy text.

**I said yes! ! ! ! XD**

**Omg i have a date 4 the dance! ! !**

**I have 2 look AMAZING! ! !**

"Yeah he's in our government class and he's in student council," Riza answered. "Why?"

"Because Sheska's apparently going to the dance with him," Winry answered, showing her the text messages.

Riza quickly scanned through the messages with an unreadable expression on her face. After a moment, she slid the phone over and let a small smile play on her lips.

"Good for Sheska," she said.

"Does she like him?" Winry asked, feeling stupid for not knowing who her friends had crushes on.

"Well she's had this little crush on him since last year when Kain transferred here," Riza shrugged. "And we've speculated that Kain might've had some sort of crush on Sheska."

"I guess this proves that he does."

"Yeah. I'm surprised he actually managed to get the guts to ask her out," Riza said. "He's really quiet and skittish. Kinda like a little bunny."

"Well it looks like everyone is going to have a date expect me," Winry groaned, glancing at Edward, who was unsurprisingly buried deep into a book; she felt her face flush at the memory of her botched attempt at asking him out.

"Hey, I'm not going with anyone," Riza said. "And neither is Rebecca. It'll still be fun."

"I guess," she muttered as she played with a pencil.

"And who says that Ed isn't going to hang out with you at the dance tonight?" Riza asked quietly. "You never know. He could have thought he was responding perfectly clear to you yesterday when in reality he was a little vague. Guys tend to do that a lot."

"And then if Ed and me do hang out," Winry felt herself blush slightly at those words, "then it'll just be you and Rebecca alone."

"And you'd seriously want to hang out with me and Bec instead of hanging out with Ed?" Riza asked, smiling.

"Well… no, but I'd feel kinda bad."

"Why? I still have fun going single," she said with a shrug. "Most of the school goes in a group of friends so it's not like I'm the odd man out."

Winry nodded, thinking for a second before she looked back up at Riza and asked, "Who would you ask if you could ask anyone?"

"No one," Riza said calmly, her face completely relaxed. "Like I said, I have just enough fun by myself. Why spend all that time freaking out about who I'm going to ask and whether or not they'll say yes when I could just have fun without worrying about it."

"That's not the point of my question!" Winry exclaimed, letting out an exasperated sigh. "I'm saying if you could ask anyone, _anyone_, and they'd say yes for sure, who would it be?"

Riza scowled slightly at Winry for a moment before she sighed heavily, rolled her eyes and said, "Fine."

"So who is it?" Winry whispered, leaning in and thinking of a certain dark-haired teen who she was rumored to have a crush on.

Riza looked around the room quickly before she leaned in closer to Winry, stared into Winry's eyes with a rather serious expression on her face and whispered, "Leonardo Di Caprio. He's one sexy beast."

And because such a silly thing was said in such a serious way, Winry could not help but laugh loudly, gaining the attention of a few other classmates. Riza grinned oddly for a moment before she let out a couple softer chuckles of her own.

"Well, if you ever get the chance to ask him out, do it," Winry said, trying her best to look and sound serious.

"Oh I will," Riza said, smirking, clearly joking.

* * *

"Is this my shirt or Sheska's?" Winry muttered during her free fourth period as she dug through her wardrobe, searching for her favorite blue sweater. She picked up the cute lacy top for Gracia to inspect.

"I say you snag it and if Sheska doesn't look for it, it's yours," Gracia decided from her place on Sheska's bed.

"Good idea," Winry muttered as she threw the top over her shoulder into a pile of her belongings.

Winry pulled herself out of the wardrobe at the sound of a heavy knock at her door. Gracia perked up as well and shrugged; not sure of who else it could be seeing as almost everyone was in a class at the moment.

"Hey," Jean said once Winry had opened the door to reveal the tall blond, who was busy trying to pull a large amount of duct tape off his one hand with the other but did not seem to be getting anywhere.

"What's up?" Winry asked, moving away so that Jean could come inside.

"Do you guys have any tape I could use?" he asked as he desperately chewed at a piece of the tape, looking very much like a dog who was trying to get out of a collar. "The zipped on one of my suitcases got busted when we came back after break and I need tape to fix it."

"Looks like you've got plenty right there," Gracia said with a smile, pointing at his hands.

"Ha ha," Jean said dryly as he struggled with the tape.

"Now how exactly did you get like that in the first place?" Winry asked, trying her best not to laugh at her struggling friend.

"I don't know!" Jean shouted in frustration. "I was just trying to rip off a piece and I got stuck or whatever and I just got tangled and I used up all my tape trying to get out of it."

"Wow," Winry commented, shaking her head slightly, surprised by the level of stupidity needed to get this tangled in a roll of duct tape.

"Shut up," he grumbled, clearly uncomfortable. "I need to get this shit off before those dicks come back up here for lunch. They'll never let this down."

"Oh and you think we won't tell them?" Gracia asked, smirking.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't," Jean said, eyes wide.

"Come here, idiot," Winry said with a sigh as she picked up a pair of scissors. "I also think we've got some duct tape in the room."

"Thanks," Jean said.

"But I hope you know we're totally gonna tell later," Winry said as she snipped away at the tape, humming Christmas tunes under her breath.

* * *

"Really, Field is crazy," Roy groaned as he stretched his arms over his head as he and his friends exited their Pre-Calculus class and began headed for East Dorm. "She would be the only teacher who made us do something productive today."

"Ehh, at least it was an easy one-hundred percent to be put into the grade book," Maes said with a shrug as he walked hand-in-hand with Gracia.

"Hey, do you wanna play some video games or something before the dance? We've got like, four hours to kill."

"Can't," Maes said. "I have to finish putting up decorations for the dance and then I've got to make sure my sweetheart approves of my clothes."

Maes grinned down at Gracia, who smiled up at him. While they kissed, Roy made several fake gagging noises and rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, you two are like, so disgusting I can't stand it sometimes," Roy said, shaking his head and picking up his pace so that he would not have to walk next to the couple.

"Don't listen to him, honey," Roy heard Maes say to Gracia. "He's just jealous."

"I am in fact the very opposite of jealous, Hughes!" Roy yelled over his shoulder. "You are the most delusional person on this planet."

Maes laughed in response to the jab, knowing that deep down his best friend did not mean any of it.

* * *

"Kain is _such _a lucky bastard," Rebecca said as she applied a layer of pink gloss to Sheska's lips later that evening. "He's going to be kicking himself over not asking you out earlier."

"Really?" Sheska asked with a squeal as she bounced up and down in her seat.

"Yes now hold still or you're going to get lip gloss in your eye," Rebecca snapped, placing a firm hand on her friend's head so she would stop moving.

The five girls were running back and forth from Winry and Sheska's room and Riza and Rebecca's room as they got ready for the dance, throwing shoes and tights into the hall in an attempt to get it into the other room, yelling out directions to one another, squealing in happiness when one friend came out of the bathroom, fully dressed and looking fabulous. Students passed by their room with extreme caution, not wanting to get hit in the face with a stiletto.

"Win! Are you done?" Gracia asked as she worked on curling Riza's hair.

"In a second!" Winry called back to them from inside of her bathroom as she slipped into her dress.

Winry's hair, which was curled and piled elaborately onto her head with about a thousand bobby pins, make up, which consisted of what Rebecca described as 'completely kissable lips and smoldering eyes', and nails, which were all painted the same pale blue as her dress, where finished. All she needed now was to slip into her dress and shoes and add a few key accessories and she would be done. Winry desperately wanted to move the blanket, which had been thrown over the mirror so that she could not see what she looked like, and inspect her make up. Pushing aside her wish to inspect Rebecca's rather amazing make up work and Gracia's impressive hair styling, Winry walked out of the bathroom, into her room, across the hall, and into the other room.

"So… what do you think?" Winry asked apprehensively as she stood in the doorway, feeling nervous at the lack of response coming from her friends.

"… Damn," Rebecca said, nodding her head as she stared at Winry.

"What?" Winry asked, feeling panicked.

"You look smoking, Win!" Sheska exclaimed.

"We should do your hair and makeup everyday," Gracia said, grinning ear to ear.

"Seriously, you look amazing," Riza said simply, smiling.

"Really?"

"Yup," Gracia said. "Now let's add the finishing touches and you can see for yourself."

Gracia picked up a pair of silver heals from the pile of accessories that they had gotten in town on their little visit and motioned Winry to sit down so that she could put them on her. Once on, Gracia picked up a pair of chandelier earrings which looked like they should cost five times more than they actually paid for and placed them in Winry's ears. Winry reached over and picked up the silver bracelet her parents had given to her for Christmas last year and slipped it on her wrist.

"Alright, you're ready!" Gracia squealed. "Let's go see!"

Winry walked over to the covered mirror, which had been attached to the inside of their wardrobe, and waited as Rebecca moved next to it, gripping onto the blanket in preparation to pull it off so that Winry could see herself. Sheska counted down from three behind her and when she hit zero, Rebecca pulled off the blanket with such flourished Winry was sure she had done it hundred of times before.

"Well? What do you think, hot-stuff?"

Winry stared into the mirror, not quiet recognizing herself at first. Her hair was silky, shiny, curled, and looked as if it had been done by a professional. Looking at her makeup, Winry felt she knew what Rebecca meant by 'completely kissable lips and smoldering eyes' because if Winry had to describe them, she'd probably use those words too. Her dress was probably the best thing about the dress.

Aqua marine, falling to a little above the knees, tight on top with a sweet heart neck line, full skirt on the bottom, and covered in tiny little metallic bits which shined when the light caught them. It was perfect. She looked perfect.

"So?" Gracia asked, gripping her shoulders tightly. "Do you think this will get Ed's attention or what?"

Winry blinked and then felt her face split as she smiled widely and brightly, feeling amazing. She then nodded and said, "Yes, I think this is exactly what I need to get Ed's attention."

While the girls hooted and hollered and finished dressing each other, Winry sat on Rebecca's desk chair, fantasizing about what might happen that night when Ed finally saw her. He would look stunned, dressed in black and looking handsome, and then he'd compliment her. They'd go to the dance, talk, eat, and laugh and find out all the things they had in common. At the end of the night, Ed would seal the perfect night with a gentle, PG-13 kind of kiss.

Winry shook her head, knowing she was going a little insane with her fantasies but hey, a girl could dream couldn't she?

_Ed'll think you're so beautiful,_ Winry told herself as she prepared to leave for the dance with her friends, who were all dressed as beautifully as here_. No doubt about it. Just one look and he'll realize what he's been missing._

Unfortunately for Winry, Edward would not see her dressed so beautifully and he would not do anything Winry had fantasized because he had no intention of attending the dance. Not after the news he had just found.

* * *

**Dun-Dun-Duh! Oh noes!**

**So, you'll all just have to wait around for the next chapter to find out what is making Ed stay inside and how Win reacts to this all.**

**AH! I'm SOOO pumped for my Senior Year. Just did class scedualing for next year and I don't have to come in until 10:30 first semester and then 9:40 second semester. So pumped.**

**Thanks for reading, drop a review.**

**-FSK  
**


	29. And the Lows

**Hello everyone, sorry for the delay. :) School sucks. Nuff said.**

**Thanks for everyone who reviewed last chapter and thank you to Dani, my editor, for looking over this. Any help is good help at this point. :P  
**

**So, it's time for the biggest dance of the year. Let's see how these teens react to it all.  
**

**Enjoy  
**

* * *

"Ed, are you going to be ready soon?" Al asked as he walked out of the bathroom, fighting with the blue tie, which seemed to be strangling him. "The dance starts soon and everyone will have a fit if we're not on time. And by everyone, I mean the girls."

Al looked up, temporarily giving up on his predicament with his tie, and saw Ed sitting at his desk, in his sweats. Several thick books sat open around him in a semi circle while he wrote feverishly in his tattered notebook. With the way Ed moved, Al was sure he had not heard a single word he had said.

"_Ed_," Al said once again, in a louder voice, hoping to get his brother's attention.

"Huh?" Ed muttered, not tearing his eyes away from whatever he was doing.

"Are you planning on getting ready for the dance any time soon?" Al asked, trying not to sound annoyed or exasperated.

"Can't," Ed said quickly, flipping two pages at once.

"And why not?" Al asked.

"Because firstly, I don't _enjoy_ dumb school dances and secondly, we've got much more important business than goofing around with some friends."

"Like what?" Al asked, although he was pretty sure what the answer was going to be.

"Like helping mom, which is what we came here to do," Edward said, glaring ever so slightly at his brother. "But I seriously think I might have found something that might help her."

"And you can't just put it off for like, an hour or two?" Al asked slowly.

"No way in hell," Ed growled. "And how could you put it off for even a minute? She's your mom too you know."

Al felt a stinging pain in his chest at the accusation that he did not care about his wonderful, perfect, and very sick mother. It was just Ed being Ed, he told himself. He doesn't mean it. Sighing heavily, Al thought back to the conversation he had overheard back in his mother's hospital room. He remembered how she had told his brother to stop working so much and to relax. Al thought of how upset their mother would be if she were to find out how Ed was disregarding her wish completely. He thought for a moment about using that to guilt his brother into going to the dance but Al knew that his brother would not fall for the guilt trip. He was just too dense and too stubborn.

Al's thoughts then wandered over to his new friend, who had worked so hard on making the perfect pie in the hopes of maybe getting Ed's attention. He had heard that his brother had not given her a definitive answer, but Winry still had hopes of maybe hanging out with Edward at the dance. How crushed would she be when her crush failed to appear at the dance?

Ed not going to the dance would not only affect one person. Al had to try something. He decided to go for broke and try the guilt trip angle anyhow.

"Do you think mom wants you to spend hours on end hiding in your room or the library, searching for a cure?" Al asked, causing Ed's eyes to pop out of his head slightly. "She would want you to go out and have fun like a high-schooler is supposed to do. She even told you to calm down and relax but you still won't listen to her."

"She wasn't in her right mind when she said that," Ed said stubbornly, not giving up. "I know what I'm doing is right and in the end, when she's all better because I found the cure, so will she and so will you."

Al and Ed locked eyes, both waiting for the other to crack. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Al sighed and threw his hands into the air in defeat.

"Fine," he said quietly, reaching down to grab his coat. "Fine, you win. Have fun with your books."

Al left the room in a rush and slammed the door behind him before Ed could say anything else. Sighing heavily as he leaned against the door, Al could not help but tell himself that Ed had a point. Yes, their mother had asked him to relax and have fun but what if Ed just happened to finally come across the thing that might help their mother?

Shaking his head slightly, Al pushed away his thoughts on his mother and brother and braced himself to be the bearer of bad news.

* * *

"Where are you meeting Kain again?" Rebecca asked Sheska as the four of them, Gracia had slipped off to meet Maes, made their way down to the elevator. Rebecca's hair was sleek and shinny and done up in an intricate twist on the top of her head. She wore a crimson dress with a high neck line but Winry felt the dress was so short the dress was more of a shirt than anything else. But, Winry could not help but admit, her legs did look rather fantastic in the dress and four inch black heals.

"He's meeting me down stairs in the Common Room," Sheska said, sounding quiet nervous. Her hair was curled and her makeup was light, more on the natural side as opposed to Rebecca and Winry, who were decked out in makeup. Sheska's sea green dress brought out her green eyes and cinched in her tiny waste. "Do I really look alright?"

"Yes," Riza said for probably the hundredth time that night. Riza's blond hair was up in a simple bun and her blue wrap dress was more on the modest side when compared to the other girl's dresses but the low neck line made it acceptable in Rebecca's book, who insisted that Riza have at least one spot of sexy on her dress, whatever that meant. "Kain will probably have an asthma attack when he sees you."

"Is that a good thing?" Sheska asked worriedly.

"Just calm down, Sheska," Winry said, gripping her friend's hand. "Everything will be fine."

"Thanks."

The ride down to the Common Room took less than a minute. When they entered the large room, they found it already filled with screaming and laughing teenagers, enjoying a pre-dance party, finding friends, or simply having a good time because they did not plan on going to the dance.

"Where did Kain say he'd meet you?" Winry shouted over the loud bass of some random song.

"By the doors!"

Gripping each other's hands and forming a human chain, the four girls forced themselves through the crowds of people until they reached the doors. Sheska looked around, clearly worried and began shouting out her dates name.

"Sheska!"

They all turned towards the direction of the weak call and watched as a thin teenaged boy forced his way through a group of boys twice his size. He righted himself and Winry was finally able to get a good look at him.

Kain was, as Gracia described him, on the shorter side, the top of his spiked hair probably was not more than a half an inch taller than Sheska, and Winry vaguely wondered if he spiked his dark hair so that he would be a little taller. He had dark hair and thick square glasses, which were actually kind of hip now, and Winry could see how one might call him 'nerd cute'.

Rebecca gave Sheska a hard shove forwards and nearly pushed the unassuming girl onto her nervous date. She turned and glared at Rebecca with a flushed face but accepted Kain's hand all the same. The three remaining girls teased the nerdy couple as they walked out of the doors, both equally red in the face.

"Well, shall we go or wait here for the guys?" Riza asked as she dodged away from a student who was running around through the crowd with his friends.

"Let's get the hell outta here," Rebecca said before she turned to look at Winry. "Unless Win wants to wait for her little date as well?"

"I'm fine," she said, knowing her face was now as red as Sheska's. "Let's get out of here before we get attacked by some freshmen."

"Agreed," Rebecca and Riza said at the same time before the all pulled on their coats and walked out into the chilly night.

The dance, like the Halloween dance, would be taken place at the stadium, a venue that seemed too cold to Winry until she was informed that the stadium had been recently fitted with an opening and closing roof.

"They only got the money to do this, what, last year?" Rebecca asked as the three ran as fast as they could in their heals in an attempt to both stay warm and get inside as soon as possible.

"Yup," Riza answered, a puff of steam coming from her mouth.

"And before that the dances where the weather sucked were held in one of the work out buildings and I swear, no matter how much they scrub and clean, it still smells like boy funk. Not the best for having fun."

The three girls got in the line to enter the stadium and when they got inside, Winry saw that it had been changed into a winter wonderland. Spray on snow coated the hand railings and tiny blue lights hung everywhere. A large white carpet covered the grass and many giant inflatable snowmen sat around.

"Let's go dance!" Rebecca shouted, gripping onto the two girls hands.

Winry laughed and smiled and followed after Rebecca but in the back of her mind she could only think of where Ed was and when he'd finally choose to show himself.

* * *

"Now two questions," Roy said as he, Jean, Al, and the Tringham brothers walked down the stairwell in East dorm, all fidgeting in their formal wear.

"Shoot," Al said.

"One, why exactly are we not breaking into your room and dragging that book worm of a brother out to the dance?" Roy asked.

Alphonse had just informed the boys that Ed was not going to the dance, claiming he was ill but a passing glance between Al and the Tringhams allowed the two brothers to know what was really keeping his brother.

"Because he's sick and I'm sure whoever you're taking would not like it if you showed up with puke all over your shirt," Al said, avoiding his friends eyes. "Now what's number two?"

"What the hell is Jean wearing?"

Al turned and stared at the blond teen once more and found himself unable to stop himself from cracking a smile. Along with Jean's formal wear, he had also pulled on one of the most ridiculous and cheesy accessories known to man. He wore a headband that had a wire attached to the front and at the end of the wire was a bunch of mistletoe.

"What?" Jean asked, as if he was not wearing anything out of the ordinary. "Girls dig creativity and it's a free chance to get some action."

"Alright, just stay away from me, please," Al laughed as he sped up so as to not get caught underneath Jean's contraption.

"And you wonder why you never have a date," Roy sighed as he shook his head.

"Who are you taking again?" Russell asked.

"Zoe Blake," Roy asked with a small tone of smugness.

"Seriously?" Jean asked, looking at his friend with annoyance.

"Yup," Roy said with a smirk.

"Now did you ask her or did she-?"

"What do you think, Havoc?" Roy asked as he pushed open the door that lead to the noise-filled Common Room. "She asked me."

"Of course she did," Jean sighed, looking a little down on himself.

"She's meeting me here so no one act like a tool," Roy said before he left to go find his date.

"Who's Zoe?" Al asked, not familiar with the name.

"She's a girl from south," Russell answered. "I think she's in our year… or maybe she's supposed to be a senior and is in our year because she failed or something. Anyways, she looks like she's a porn-star in training."

"Ah."

The four boys then forced their way through the crowd and just as they were about to exit the dorm, they caught sight of Roy with his date. Al could instantly understand Russell's description of the girl with one look at her. Her bleach blond hair was done up on her head, dark eyes were painted with bold colors, and she wore probably the most revealing dress one could wear to a loosely monitored school function. It was black with a plunging neck line and a huge slit up the side of an already too-short skirt.

"Let's get out of here," Jean grumbled before he left the building; the others followed after the slightly disgruntled teen.

* * *

_He's not coming_, Winry thought as she scanned the crowds of people coming into the stadium along with those who sat about on the steps. _He's not coming. But he has to. _

Almost an hour into the dance, Alphonse had arrived with the boys, or at least, a majority of the boys. Winry approached him and was soon informed that Ed might be coming later. Al told her, looking truly sorry for her, that Ed had some sort of crisis and he said that his brother would at least stop by the dance.

Winry was not buying it.

Well, to put it more accurately, she was not buying it anymore. When Al first told her, she held her head up high, ignored the nagging thoughts in her brain, and told herself that what Al said made perfect sense. Ed was not the type to truly enjoy dances but he would be the type to show up for just a little bit to make everyone happy. Right?

Winry was wrong, it appeared, for she was a little more than two hours into the dance and Ed had yet to show.

_No, he'll be here,_ she told herself. _He's just a bit late._

Her mind then went off into a day dream that seemed like a scene taken straight out of any high school movie. There would only be enough time left in the dance for one last song and Ed would appear out of nowhere and spend that last dance with her…

Winry gave her head a harsh shake. When did she become such a sappy romantic? Pushing away all of her doubt and annoyance, Winry walked away from the entrance and went to go find her friends, hoping that maybe she could have some fun tonight.

* * *

"So I if I were to assume that Ed was not actually sick like you say he is, what would you say?" Russell asked as he lounged on the stadium steps with Al and his brother.

"I would say that assuming makes an ass out of you and me," Al said cryptically as he stared into his almost empty plastic cup.

"Ugh, I hate when people say that," Russell groaned before he lowered his voice slightly. "But seriously, did he find something?"

"He thinks he might've," Al said quietly after a pause.

"I bet he wasn't all that happy that you came here instead of staying and helping him," Fletcher said wisely which only made Al think back to stinging accusations and glares his brother had sent his way when he said no to staying.

"I think saying he wasn't happy was a bit of an understatement," he sighed.

"But why exactly did you come? If you don't mind me asking," Russell asked. "These dances aren't all that great you know."

"I came here to make my mom happy," Al answered after a long pause, his tone sounded slightly defensive. "She told us, mainly Ed though, that she didn't want us to just waste our lives on her and that we needed to act like normal teenagers and have fun more often. So that's what I'm doing."

The two blond brothers exchanged glances for a moment before they shrugged, realizing that Trisha Elric did have a point. Her sons did need to act like kids more often then they tended to do.

"Well, I see an opportunity to go and have some fun right now," Russell said as he glanced over Al.

Al turned and tried to see what his friend was talking about. After a moment of searching, he was sure he saw what Russell was trying to point out to him. He thought he had felt someone staring at him. Just as he made contact with the pair of large, dark eyes, they quickly flitted away from him. Al watched as the small Asian girl jumped up from her seat and sped away, clearly embarrassed that she had got caught staring.

"That little pixie has got the _hots_ for _you,_" Russell said as he watched Mei run away.

"How do you know she doesn't like one of you two?" Al asked as he tried to ignore the slight blush that came to his face. "Fletcher here would be much more age appropriate for her."

"Older guys, man," Russell said. "Chicks love older men and you here are the oldest out of all of us."

"And I don't have any classes with her anyhow," Fletcher added quietly with a smirk.

"And don't you have that little cooking class together?" Russell added with a poke to Al's shoulder. "Face it, Al, you've got yourself a little fan-girl."

"I do not," Al muttered as he turned away from his friends while they laughed at his discomfort.

* * *

Everywhere Winry turned, she saw happy, smiling kids, all having a good time; she wasn't exactly one of them.

Winry stood against one of the walls, half-drunk drink in hand, a half-hearted smile plastered onto her face to appease her friends who continually tried to get her to dance with them, and just barely stopping herself from running back to her room. The dance was once again, much more superior to anything ever thrown at her previous high school. Unfortunately, what Winry wanted appeared to have skipped the dance completely.

Neither Edward's reflective golden locks nor his carrying voice could be seen or heard. When Al had told her that Ed was going to show up later, she had completely believed it. But now, looking back at Al's expression when he told her, Winry realized with a faint feeling of stupidity that he was clearly lying to her in hopes of sparing her feelings. Well, the lie did not help but prolonged Winry's hurt feelings.

She should not be mad at Al, though, she felt. Al was a nice kid who was just trying to help her. Ed was the person she should really be upset with. It had not been a definite date but Winry felt like the promise of at least one dance had been implied in their previous conversations. The only thing that kept Winry there were Rebecca's words of having worked so hard on Winry to look perfect-

_Perfect for no reason since he ditched._

-that she had to stay to at least show off and then Gracia's words of at least having a nice time with her friends before break started.

"Oh quit your moping!" Rebecca yelled at her for almost the hundredth time that night. "How about you go and make out with some hot kid? It'll make you feel all better!"

"Rebecca…" Riza said with a sigh.

"I'm fine, really," Winry muttered, not even trying to sound happy anymore.

"Winry, don't worry about that little twerp," Gracia said, her voice much fiercer than usual. "Go out and have fun."

"But I-"

"Quit with the pity party, Winry," Rebecca said with a sigh before she turned, grabbed randomly into a crowd of passing boys and pulled out the cute, curly-haired sophomore from her Metal class. "Jake, right?"

"Uh, Jack," Jack said nervously, glancing at Winry with a surprised smile. Winry knew it must be weird for him to see her so dolled up when the only time he saw her thought out the day was when she was covered in grease and maybe sweat. "Hey, Winry."

"Hey, Jack," Winry said quietly with a smile.

"Uh, nice dress," he said, sounding a bit nervous.

"Thanks."

"Good!" Rebecca said with a happy smile before she grabbed Jack's wrist and Winry's wrist tightly and forced the two closer together. "Now, Jack, you be good and go dance with her."

"But-" Winry started before she was cut of.

"Sure," Jack said, looking happy to do so. He then smiled warmly at her and gripped onto Winry's hand. "Let's go. I really like this song."

Winry looked up at Jack and found it impossible to not smile back at him. Knowing it was pointless to argue at his point, she nodded and smiled a bit more before she allowed Jack to lead her out to the dance floor.

"You know what? Those two look cute together," Rebecca decided as she stared at the two teens. "I'm a damn good match-maker."

"I doubt mister big brown eyes over there will make her forget about Ed though," Gracia said with a sigh and a passing glance to Jack.

"Ed is an ass," Riza stated boldly.

"Uh, duh," Rebecca said before her eyes moved over to another pair. "Speaking of asses, look at your little buddy, Mustang."

Riza turned her head against her better judgment in time to see Roy and his date, the usual blond bimbo, disappear behind a gigantic inflatable snowman. The snowman was slightly translucent so that it was possibly to make out two entwined bodies. She turned away.

"What's new about that?" she asked dryly. "He does this at every dance. It would be worth pointing out if he wasn't doing that."

Gracia and Rebecca opened their mouths to speak when they were cut off by a deeper male voice.

"Hello, ladies."

The three girls looked up and saw Mr. Huston smiling down at them, holding a drink in his hand.

"Hi, Mr. Huston," the girls chorused.

"So are you all enjoying this winter wonderland?"

"It's fun as usual," Gracia said with a smile and nod.

"Good, good," he said with a nod. "Now where are Sheska and Winry? Aren't you five all tied together?"

"Sheska came with a date," Rebecca said with a small snicker. "We haven't seen her all night."

"Well I don't think she's over with the snowmen," he said with a knowing wink as he knew perfectly well that teenagers were clustered behind them, kissing. "I just had to pull a couple people apart."

"I can't even imagine them there," Riza said with a smile and shake of her head.

"I can picture Sheska there, tackling the crap of poor Fuery," Rebecca said with a laugh.

"Well, Rebecca, I'm glad to see you're not hiding behind the snowmen," Mr. Huston added with a small smirk, causing Rebecca to scowl while the other two giggled at the jab.

"Maybe because I've found better, less obvious places to have fun," Rebecca suggested with a small pout on her face.

Mr. Huston reached out and patted Rebecca on the head with his hand and laughed heartily, which only caused Rebecca to scowl more.

"I'm sure you have," he said before he turned to Gracia. "And where is your knight in shining armor? I would have expected him to have shown up by now."

"Oh, he's around," Gracia said, brushing some hair behind her ear. "Probably off with some friends. We spent the majority of dance together already."

"Oh really? Well that's nice," Mr. Huston said, sounding completely genuine.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, I hope everyone has a nice rest of the dance and a better holiday off," he said after a brief pause.

"You too," Rebecca said, seeming to finally break out of her scowl.

"See you, ladies."

Mr. Huston gave them all a small wave, which they returned and turned around and walked into the thick crowd of kids. Maes appeared a few moments later, holding two pieces of cake and looking a little disgruntled.

"Hey, sweetheart," Gracia said with a wide smile as Maes pushed away a small kid so that he could reach his girl friend.

"Hi, honey," Maes said before he bent down and kissed her lightly.

"Did you bring me cake?" Rebecca asked, staring at the heavily frosted creations with wide eyes.

"No, go get your own," Maes said before he decided on sticking his tongue out at the girl.

"Thanks, babe," Gracia said, accepting the piece of cake.

"No problem, honey bear."

"Oh my god I swear to god I'm about to either puke or explode or both if you use one more dumb pet name!" Rebecca shouted.

"Oh come here, sweetie pie," Gracia said quickly, opening her arms.

"Coming shnuckums," Maes said in a gooey voice as he rubbed his face against Gracia's.

"Boom!" Rebecca yelled, making hand motions around her head that signaled an explosion.

"Hey, where's Winry?" Maes asked, looking around as he placed an arm around his girlfriend.

"Having fun with this cute kid I found for her," Rebecca said proudly.

"Wait, _you_ set her up with someone?" Maes asked worriedly. "We better watch them close and make sure nothing happens to like what happened with Jean and Chloe."

"Hey! It's not like it was _my _fault Jean accidentally tripped her and she fell down two flights of stairs!" Rebecca yelled.

"It is your fault because you brought those two together," Maes said. "That is the burden of the matchmaker."

"Whatever, Matchmaker Miyagi," she said, rolling her eyes before she downed her drink.

"But anyways, has anyone seen Ed?"

"He's not gonna show," Riza said, looking annoyed.

"I know," Maes muttered before he glanced over his shoulder so that he could just make out Winry dancing with some kid. "That kid is an ass. Can't he even like, entertain the idea of making someone else happy? Would it have taken him that long to come down here and talk to her for an _hour?_"

"We can't keep forcing him to do stuff," Riza said quietly. "If he doesn't want to then what can we do?"

"We can tee-pee his room," Rebecca said in a slightly hushed voice and wide eyes.

"That's not fair to Al," Gracia said with a smile.

"Yeah well, then we'll just get Ed's shit."

"Alright, you get to that," Maes said sarcastically.

* * *

Students filled out of the stadium in a mob. Spot lights turned on to help guide people to the exits. Trash bins were overflowing into piles onto the ground. The dance was over and now, students were heading back to their dorms for a little post dance part and then maybe some sleep before they had to head back home.

"So I had a lot of fun tonight," Jack said as he and Winry walked slowly towards the exit.

"Me too," Winry said, half lying to the teenager. She had had fun with him but Winry could never truly push away the rejection she felt when Ed never showed. She did, however, get to have a final slow dance; just not with the person she really wanted to.

"I'm glad your crazy friend pulled me away from my friends," he said with a laugh.

"You'll have to thank Rebecca," Winry said, smiling softly.

"I will definitely."

"And I guess I will too," she added. "It really was fun tonight."

Winry looked up and saw Jack's big goofy smile; she turned away when she felt her checks heat up slightly. They walked out into the cold and even though she was already wearing a thick coat, the cold air was still getting to her.

"Here, take my jacket," Jack said, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around Winry.

"Thanks," Winry whispered, feeling confused by the extremely nice gesture.

They walked slowly towards East dorm, both in deep thought. While Jack's were filled with bliss and happiness, Winry's were only filled with confusion and conflicting feelings. Tonight, Jack had played the part of her fantasy Ed and talked to her, danced with her, and, oh right, actually showed up for the dance. He was sweet and funny and a little on the goofy side. But what about Ed? She still felt something for Ed inside but what exactly? Was it even worth it anymore? Here she had a perfectly good guy, willing to actually talk to her and hang out with her and yet, she could not shake away her thoughts of the golden-eyed boy.

What was wrong with her?

_I just need to think it all over some more_, she told herself as East Dorm became closer and closer.

The two reached the front doors of the building and stopped. Jack smiled widely down at her and Winry smiled nervously back, trying to push away all of her confusing thoughts.

"So uh, do you mind if I text you over break?" Jack asked, shoving his hands nervously into his pockets.

"Um, no. You can talk to me," Winry said, a smile coming to her face.

She then took of Jack's coat and handed it to him with frozen fingers. Jack went to grab it and bumped his fingers with her own; Winry did not know if it was on purpose or not.

"Thanks again for the jacket," she said. "And for the dance."

"No problem," he said as he pulled his jacket back on. "Well, I'd better be getting back."

"Right," Winry nodded. "What dorm were you in again?"

"West."

"Right," she said. "Well, I'll talk to you over break?"

"Yeah, totally. Merry Christmas, Win."

"Merry Christmas, Jack."

Winry watched him walk away for a while before the cold got to her and she knew it would be best to head inside, even though she knew inside held her nosy friends who would want to know ever detail about tonight. She wouldn't normally have a problem with recounting her night but there was one problem when kept her from wanting to spill the beans.

Winry had never been this confused over boys in her entire life.

Sighing heavily and feeling exhausted, Winry dodged around all of the laughing and yelling students and ran for the stairwell, where she ran up the three flights of stairs to her floor. Winry closed her eyes as she passed by Edward's room, hoping maybe that action would help to block out his image. She opened her dorm room and found it blissfully empty. Winry kicked off her shoes, pulled off her dress and climbed into bed, thinking of how she would have an entire plane ride to think things over.

* * *

**Poor Win... boy problems suck ass.**

**So I'll try and get the next chapter up sooner but no promises. End of the year means that I'm going to be forced to do so much work and seeing as I have already COMPLETELY given up on school, it's going to be a rough last month of school. :\  
**

**Anywho, So, I happen to be RATHER obsessed with the show Legend of Korra (BECAUSE IT'S FREAKING AMAZING!) and if you hadn't noticed, I wrote a little LoK story and if you also happen to enjoy this amazing show, you should check out my fic. :)  
**

**Hope to update again soon.  
**

**-FSK  
**


	30. The Aftermath

**Hello everyone! Sorry for late updates and delays... end of the year grind... sucks. ASS.**

**On a happier note, I'll be done with school soon and then maybe my updates will be less sporadic. Hopefully. But thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and to my helpful editor, Dani. :)  
**

**So, let's see the aftermath of the party.  
**

* * *

"We need more of these parties," Jean said before he downed his spiked drink as he lounged in one of the chairs in the East Dorm Common Room, still wearing his ludicrous head dress. "I think they're good for the moral of the dorm."

"Sure doesn't help the moral when we get chewed out by maintenance," Roy said before he took a swig of his own drink, which was more alcohol than juice.

The two boys stared around the Common Room, which was filled to the brim with loud students, all in varying degrees of being dressed. There were some who were still decked out in their dance wear, more who were in a few pieces of their nice clothes, and even more who had stripped down to t-shirts and gym shorts or pajama pants. Many articles of clothing littered the floor and along with abandoned plastic cups and bits of food.

"Hey, guys," Maes said as he sat down in an empty chair next to Roy.

"Hey, Hughes," Roy said. "Where's your better half?"

"Oh, she's sleeping upstairs in Riza and Rebecca's room," he said, gesturing upstairs.

"That cool with her R.A.?" Jean asked.

"Yeah and besides, twenty percent of the school is probably going to end up crashed in a dorm that's not theirs."

"True."

"Except for those poor bastards up in North," Roy sighed. "They're probably all sleeping."

"Or risking a beating from the Ice Bitch and are out partying!" Jean said with a smile.

"Yeah."

The three teenagers sat and drank quietly for a while, enjoying the sights and sounds of over a hundred teens celebrating.

"This party seems to be getting a little out of control," Maes commented as a group of freshmen ran past them screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Yeah," Jean said with a laugh. "Some idiot went and brought out a bunch of spiked drinks."

Maes groaned and rolled his eyes before he turned and gave the two boys hard looks.

"It wasn't me!" Jean yelled, putting his hands in the air.

"Not me either," Roy said before he downed the rest of his drink. "I wouldn't want to waste my booze rations of a bunch of dumb thirteen-year-olds. I bet it was some freshmen or something who wanted to get a bunch of little kids drunk."

"Oh my god," Maes sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "We are in so much trouble if one of those kids gets called out by their parents tomorrow."

"Like a seventh grader could _ever _get a hangover," Roy said. "They can hold down one, maybe two_,_ wine coolers and then they're happily asleep and when they wake up, they're good as new."

"We should still try and get a handle on this," Maes said before he stood up and began searching the crowds. "Where's Clair?"

Clair Mathews was the R.A. of East Dorm. She was smart, flexible, understanding, and one who never turned down a confiscated drink. She hardly ever went to a teacher to solve a problem but tried her best to keep what happened in the dorm under wraps.

"She's passed out under the pool table," Roy answered, gesturing towards the pool table with a small shake of his head.

Maes got up and after forcing his way through a crowd of students, he made it to the pool table. He crouched down and stared at the girl curled up there for a moment before he let out a small laugh. Clair was wrapped up in a blanket with a small sign taped to it:

**If anyone draws ****ANYTHING on me,**

**I will report EVERYONE for**

**indecent and illegal activities.**

**Happy holidays**

**- 3 R.A. Clair**

Although it appeared everyone had listened to Clair's note, many people took the time to doodle inappropriate things on the note itself. Sighing slightly at the R.A.'s odd choice of discipline, Maes reached out and shook the girl's shoulder until she woke up.

"What the hell do you want?" she groaned as she rubbed her eyes and rolled onto her back.

"Clair, we've got a little problem," Maes said.

"Is it that you've gone and woken me up?" she asked, turning her head so that her green-yellow eyes were glaring sleepily at him.

"No. Some idiot went and spiked all the drinks and well, there are a bunch of seventh and eighth graders who are now drunk and running around and I thought that maybe because _you're_ the R.A., you might want to do something about that."

"Oh, shit, that _sucks_," Clair groaned as she went to sit up and ended up banging her head against the low pool table. "Damn it! Give me a hand."

"You know I think you would be a more useful R.A. if you weren't passed out and then maybe you could stop these things from happening."

"Oh, shut up, Hughes, I've had like, _four_ drinks tonight. I was _sleeping_. I have to be up at five to get onto a plane so I'm resting now," she snapped. "I could be a worse R.A. ya know."

While Maes held back his comment on how he was not sure an R.A. could be worse than her, Clair jumped up onto the pool table, kicked aside some pool balls from a game that had just been interrupted by her, and began digging in her hoodie pockets. She brushed her auburn hair out of her eyes and pulled out a small air horn from her pockets. Maes plugged his ears a moment before Clair pressed down on the button. Everyone turned and stared at the girl as they covered their ears in an attempt to block out the noise.

"Every body shut the fuck up!" Clair screamed in a loud voice over her own air horn. She then placed the air horn back into her pocket and looked up to address the crowd. "Now I hear that there has been some _extreme _underage drinking going on here and I want to know who the dumb ass that started it was!"

Everyone stared at each other and but no one said anything.

"Well, if no one's gonna fess up, then I'm just gonna have to take all the booze infested drinks and take them away."

There were groans and moans of complaints but Maes knew that she had this under control, so he walked away and resumed his seat by his friends.

"There is something wrong with that chick," Roy muttered, staring at the small but demanding R.A.

"There's something wrong with all of us."

* * *

"Is Winry alright?" Sheska asked as she glanced across the hall at the door which led to her room. Inside was Winry, lying on her bed and clearly pretending to be asleep.

Sheska had just returned to the dorm after Kain had dropped her off at the front of East dorm. She entered her dorm room and undressed as quietly as possibly, knowing Winry would not want to talk since she had heard that Ed had not shown up to the dance.

"I don't know," Riza said as she pulled probably the fiftieth bobby pin out of her hair.

"She seemed like she was having a good time at the end there," Rebecca said as she spun around o her computer chair.

"Yeah but I'm sure she's still a little upset," Gracia said, looking sympathetic.

"Ed's an asshole," Rebecca declared once again.

"That he is," Riza said with a sigh. "Or at the very least, he's a very dense idiot."

"Riza, all boys are very dense idiots," Rebecca said.

"What the hell was so important that he couldn't go out for like, five seconds?" Sheska asked angrily.

"No idea," Riza muttered quietly. She stared off into space for a moment before she turned to Sheska with a smile on her face. "So how was Kain?"

Sheska's face went instantly red.

While Sheska chatted about what an apparently amazing evening she had with the nerdy teen, Riza fell back into thought. What had kept Ed inside? Because if it were a simple case of he did not want to go, the boys would have been in there and dragged him out in a matter of seconds. He was hiding something for sure.

_Al covered for him so Al must know as well_, Riza thought, thinking of the completely bogus lie she had heard. Sick? Riza had never known Edward Elric to be sick a day of his life.

She glanced at her friends, who were paying much more attention to Sheska than anything else. Did anyone else know what Ed was hiding? Did anyone think he was hiding anything at all? Maybe she only knew he was hiding something because she herself was hiding something and knew the signs. Who knew?

Riza shook her head slightly in an attempt to get rid of all her sleuthy thoughts and focused on her friend, who was simply gushing about Kain and how wonderful he seemed to be.

"Do you think you guys are going to like, make it official?" Gracia asked, smiling ear to ear.

"I don't know! It's way too soon to tell, don't you think?" Sheska squealed, looking like a tomato with a wig on.

"Well, I think you two make a cute little couple," Riza said with a smile.

"Really? You think?"

"Totally."

* * *

"Yo, Al! What's up, man?" Jean asked as he spotted the sandy-haired boy walk into the slightly quieter Common Room.

"Nothing, I just needed some fresh air," Al sighed as he sat down in the vacant seat next to Jean. "Where are Roy and Maes?"

"I think they both went to crash," Jean answered.

"Well it is kinda late," Al said, glancing at his watch and see that it was getting close to four in the morning.

"Yeah, I got to get up early so it's like, why should I bother going to sleep when it's going to take more effort trying to get up at seven than staying up until seven?"

"Makes sense."

"Yeah and then I can just sleep on the plane."

"Well, I'm probably gonna crash in an hour or so," Al shrugged.

Al watched as Jean brazenly took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one. A few people passing buy gave him looks but most people didn't give a shit, knowing it was just Jean.

"You know, the girls are really pissed at Ed."

"You don't need to tell me that," Al sighed. "Lot's of people are pissed at him."

"You included?"

"… I guess you might say that," he muttered as he stared at a stain on the carpet.

"So what's the real reason Ed ditched on Win?" Jean asked though his cigarette. "Because I'll admit, I'm kinda annoyed at the kid too."

Al kept his mouth shut and chose to continue staring at the stain. He would not try and insist that his lie about Ed being sick have been true because anyone could see that that was a lie. But Al was not about to spill about his mother either.

"I'm gonna guess this is some brother secret, right?"

"I guess you could put it like that," Al sighed.

"Now I have to know… Ed didn't kill someone did he?" Jean asked looking completely seriously, making Al crack a smile. "Because I'm all for bending and breaking rules but I think you might want to report him."

"He didn't kill anyone," Al laughed, thinking in the back of his how they were trying to do the very opposite and keep someone alive.

"Well he better have one good-ass reason for skipping out tonight or he's going to get attacked by like, five girls and possibly Maes."

"He does, trust me."

* * *

"Oh, um, good morning, Winry," Sheska said uneasily as she entered the dorm room and saw Winry standing at her desk, putting away her last few things.

Sheska stood in the doorway with her older brother, Emmett, and stared at Winry for a moment. Sheska had been hoping she might get a chance to talk to Winry before she left but now that she was here, staring at her, Sheska realized she had no idea what to say.

Winry was dressed in sweats but her hair was still done up in the fancy style from the night before; the million bobby pins keeping it all in place even after she slept through it. Her makeup was also a little smeared and Sheska remembered how she was sure she had heard Winry crying slightly during the night. She looked like a mess.

"Um, Emmett, go get lost for a minute, alright?" Sheska asked as she turned to look up at her brother, who seemed a little annoyed.

"Why? I don't wanna have to run down stairs again and back up," he groaned, rolling his deep green eyes which were so similar to Sheska's. "If you two wanna have an estrogen party or whatever, I'll just wait on in the hall."

"Emmett!" Sheska yelled before she turned and pulled a few singles from her pocket and shoved them into his hand. "Go get a snack and come back here in a minute!"

"Fine," he sighed.

"So, you'll be leaving soon?" Winry asked in a calm voice.

"Yeah, my parents are down stairs, loading up the car. I came back up here for a few things," Sheska said with a shrug. "When are you going?"

"I have to leave in like, an hour," Winry muttered, focusing on straightening a pile of notebooks on her desk.

"Oh."

Sheska stood in front of the door, fidgeting for a moment, feeling completely awkward. She wanted to both comfort her friend but also gush about her night with Kain but even she knew that now was not the time to start talking about her happy love life. Pushing aside all of her confused thoughts, Sheska marched towards her friend and wrapped her arms around her.

"Sheska…"

"Are you alright, Win?"

"I'm… I'm fine," Winry sighed, returning a bit of the hug. "Or I'll be fine."

"Well, don't waste too much time over him," Sheska said, breaking away from Winry but she still held onto her shoulders. "He's an idiot who's not worth so much time in your head."

"Thanks," Winry said with a smile, forcing away her wish to cry. "So how was Kain?"

"Oh well… he was nice and… we had a good time," Sheska muttered, not wanting to focus on her when she was trying to comfort her friend.

"Do you like each other?" the blond asked with a grin. "Like, do you like each other for real now that you've actually hung out?"

"I don't know," she mumbled. "We made plans to hang out after break…"

"That's great!" Winry exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess it is great."

"You guess?"

"No, I mean, yeah, it's great that we're going to hang out," Sheska said quickly.

"Good."

Sheska smiled at her friend for a moment and was on the verge of brining up the boy Rebecca had set her up with when the door opened with a bang. The two girls turned and saw Sheska's surly brother standing there with his hand buried in a bag of chips.

"Dad texted me and said you need to hurry up or we won't get back before night fall," Emmett said.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Sheska sighed, clearly annoyed. "Heaven forbid I say goodbye to my friends."

Sheska picked up her coat and her bag from her desk before she gave Winry another hug, which Winry returned.

"I'll see you at New Years, right?" Sheska asked, thinking of the party on the island.

"Yeah, I'll be there," Winry said after a slight pause.

"Good," Sheska said, throwing on her coat. "I'll see you soon then. Hope you have an awesome Christmas!"

"You too."

"Bye!"

"Bye."

* * *

"So Ed, what did you find that was so important?" Al asked as he returned to the dorm room that morning.

Al had meant to return back upstairs to his room to help his brother with whatever he was looking for but instead he chose to hang out with Jean, who entertained him and the remaining students in the room. He felt guilty that he had not really helped his brother with any of his supposed new findings but then again, he was doing what Trisha told them to do; he was having fun like a normal teenager.

He knew that this was no real excuse in Ed's book and he prepared for the tongue-lashing that was sure to come any moment. But when he didn't get so much as a glance in his direction, Al knew something was up.

Ed sat at his desk, the same place he had been for almost twelve hours. But unlike before, when there was an air of urgency that surrounded Ed, there was now nothing. He sat, bent over his many books and notebooks, with his fists holding up his head as his elbows rested on his desk. His face was hidden behind by both his hanging hair and his hands.

"Ed?" Al asked quietly as he inched towards his brother.

Ed did not answer his brother and did not move either. Al took a deep breath and walked forwards. He placed a hesitant hand on Ed's shoulder and said his brother's name again.

Finally, Ed let out a sigh and let his hands fall from his face and onto the desk with a thud. He stared forwards for a moment before he turned and face Al, looking exhausted beyond belief. Al knew immediately what was wrong.

"Ed…"

"It doesn't matter," Ed muttered, staring at the ground. "I'm fine."

"Ed, you-"

"I'm fine, Al," Ed said in a stronger voice. "It's just that after a while of getting your hopes up before they get crushed repeatedly, you get a little tired. It does stuff to you. But I'll be fine in a bit."

Suddenly, Ed stood up and pushed all of his books, notes, pencils, and everything else that littered his desk to the floor in one sweeping motion. He then proceeded to kick out at a pile of paper, forcing them into the air.

Al watched as Ed had his small temper tantrum, feeling what little hope he had dared to contain over the night crumble and die. Ed was right; having your hopes repeatedly messed with really did something to you inside. As he watched his brother start to tear up some notes, Al suddenly hoped that if they could not save their mother, he hoped that there would be a conclusion to the story soon enough, even if it meant his mother leaving the world.

All this stress, it wasn't good for anyone. Ed was a perfect example of that as he proceeded to start screaming and cursing at the ceiling.

* * *

**Poor Edo... I kinda thought that Ed freaking out like this might be a little OOC, but I mean, he does have to blow of a little steam, right?  
**

**Next chapter will be the beginning of some cute family times. :D  
**

**Oh, and if anyone care, I kinda based Clair off of me. :P Making an appearance in my own fanfic, I'm a nerd.  
**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter and hopefully I can update soon.  
**

**-FSK  
**


	31. The Counterattack

**Hello my readers out there :) Thank you all for reading and reviewing last chapter.**

**So I've been kinda busy and so has my editor but now it's summer so hopefully my updates will be less sucky and sporadic and more, you know, reasonable.  
**

**But I spent this past weekend in the Big Apple, NYC, and it was freaking awesome as hell and it was one of the best ways to kick off summer.  
**

**So, here's chapter 31. Enjoy**

* * *

Riza stared up at the canopy that covered her four-poster bed at her grandfather's estate. She had arrived there late last night and she had hardly moved since then. Riza had been up all night, thinking about Edward and Alphonse.

It had to be something serious for them to hide it so seriously, right? But what could it be? There were so many things that Riza did not really know about the two blond-haired brothers and she could not peg one single item they could be hiding information about.

_You should leave them alone_, Riza told herself when the idea of investigating entered her mind once again. _You don't want people snooping in your business so don't go and snoop into someone else's lives when they don't want it either._

"_You know, I think that maybe you should stop lying to your friends and just tell them the truth."_

Riza closed her eyes and let out a deep groan of annoyance. She should tell her friends, shouldn't she? How could she complain about other people hiding things from friends when she herself was doing that?

"It's not like I'm going to hide it forever," she told herself. "They'll know the truth eventually."

Pushing her thoughts away, Riza glanced at the time and decided that it was late enough to get up. She sat up, slipped off the bed, grabbed some clothes from her suitcase, and padded towards her enormous bathroom while relishing in the fact that she would not see her father until this summer.

* * *

Winry opened her eyes and stared out the open window at her grandmother's house. It was early, much too early for her liking, but she did not feel like trying to fall back asleep. Not with the light shinning into her room and the noises of Den barking outside.

She rolled over and stared at the blank television set, and began contemplating if she should turn it on when her cell phone bleated from it's spot on the nightstand. After a moment of laziness, where Winry refused to move more than a millimeter over and had to roll onto her stomach to reach the phone, she noticed she had a new text message from Rebecca.

**Ed's an ass. **

Winry sighed and rolled her eyes before she responded to her friend. She really did not want to have Tuesday night replayed in her mind. Winry had gotten her need to cry out of her system and really, Ed had never said he would seriously come and dance with her. Why should she be mad at him? If he didn't want to see her, he didn't have to. Pushing away the singing sensation that started up in her heart again, Winry replied to the text.

**You don't have to say that.**

**Everything's fine.**

Rebecca replied within an instant.

**But he was an ass to you!**

**He needs to pay!**

Sighing once again, Winry dialed Rebecca's number and waited two seconds for her to pick up.

"Ed does not need to pay, so don't you dare go and, I don't know, throw him in the river to get back at him," Winry said sternly before Rebecca could even say hello.

"_That wasn't what I was planning on doing but that is a nice idea_," Rebecca said and Winry could just imagine the evil expression on her face.

"Don't," she said in a sterner voice. "He didn't give me a straight answer when I asked him. It was dumb of me to assume he'd be there. I have no reason to be mad at him. He had his right to stay in and not go to the dance."

"_You have every right to be mad at him, Win!_" Rebecca screamed. "_He stood you up! He didn't have to balls to come down and turn you down in person so he just stayed in his room like a little bitch! Now get your ass off the high road and listen to this plan I've got._"

"No," Winry said before she ended the phone call.

She then turned off her phone and tossed it so that it would land on a pile of her belongings she had not yet organized. Winry stared at her phone for a moment, thinking of how Rebecca had just assumed that Ed would reject her if he had come to the dance. The stinging sensation filled her once again and before it could fill her, she jumped up and rushed to the bathroom, thinking that maybe a shower could stop the pain from filling her.

* * *

Rebecca scowled at the phone in her hand, as if it had been the phones fault the conversation ended so abruptly, as she lay on her stomach on a bright orange bean-bag chair with her feet in the air. Pushing away a yawn, she had stayed up all night talking to other friends and she had not gone to bed yet, Rebecca dialed another number in her phone and waited, knowing the person was sure to be asleep.

"_What…?_" Sheska groaned pitifully.

"I just talked to Winry and she needs to realize that Ed did her a great personal wrong," Rebecca said forcefully as she chewed on her thumb nail. She had been talking to Sheska all night about what they could do to get Ed back or, at the very least, make him apologize to Winry. Sheska had probably only been asleep for an hour but she needed to talk to her. "She just can't have guys walking all over her like that."

"_Bec, can't we talk about this later_?" Sheska groaned.

"No we need to do this now!" Rebecca shouted. Didn't anyone realize how important this was?

"_But I'm tired_," Sheska whined.

"Too bad."

"_And my mom already yelled at me twice to get to sleep_."

"Tell her this is an emergency."

"_They don't care_," Sheska muttered. "_And we're going to pick out our Christmas tree in like four hours and I need to get some sleep if I plan on hauling a tree to my car_."

"Don't you have like, ten brothers and sisters who can do that?" Rebecca snapped. "You don't need to be awake to pick out a tree."

"_But it's my year for me to get to saw down the tree_," she continued. "_And I only have four siblings thank you very much._"

"Well excuse me. Just, just go get some coffee!"

"_No, Bec, I need to get some sleep!_"

"Fine," Rebecca conceded with a pout as she reached out to grab the energy drink she had been drinking. "I'll just tell Winry you don't care about her."

"_Bec, I know that this whole Ed thing sucks but I think you're the person who's making the biggest deal out of this and it's not really your business_."

"Yeah, but I seem to be the only person who understands how important this all is! Ed's a dick who needs to apologize to poor Winry! You said she was crying over him!"

"_I know_," Sheska sighed, knowing her resolve was slowly chipping away. "_I promise I'll help you in like, six hours, alright? But right now, I need to sleep and eat and cut down a Christmas tree_."

"Fine," Rebecca sighed. "Go cut some wood."

Rebecca ended the call and downed the rest of her drink. Ed needed to pay. No one messed with her friends and got away with it.

* * *

"So how was the dance?" Trisha asked her sons as she sipped her morning coffee. Edward and Alphonse sat across from her, too busy with shoveling breakfast into their mouths to talk.

"Ehh, it was a dance," Ed answered, earning a brief glance from Al.

Al knew that his brother would do this. He would pretend he went to the dance and had a good time like his mother would want to do. Part of Al wanted to rat on his brother so that maybe his mother would force him to act more like a teenager but Al also liked that his mother would be happy because she thought both her sons had had fun. He kept his lips shut about his brother.

"Kinda lame like always," Ed added before he began chugging his glass of orange juice.

"I'm sure it was more fun than you let on," Trisha said with a knowing smile before she turned to Al. "So, was it lame to you too, Alphonse?"

"It wasn't bad," Al said honestly. "I mean, if they were really bad, I wouldn't waste my time going to them."

"Did you go with Russell and Fletcher?"

"Yeah," Al answered. "Like always."

"Anything interesting happen?"

"Um, well, half way through the dance Russell tripped on the stairs and then he did like, a head stand and rolled down some steps (1)," Al said, laughing at the memory of how their usually graceful friend made a complete idiot of himself.

"Oh my, was he alright?"

"He was fine. Just really embarrassed."

"Well that's good."

Al glanced back at his brother as he began playing with the remaining crumbs on his plate. After Ed's brief but totally justifiable temper tantrum, they had packed up, took a taxi to the airport, and hopped on their plane. Ed had seemed completely at ease the entire way back and Al knew that inside, Ed was probably blaming himself for not finding the correct information this time. By the time they returned home, however, Ed seemed genially happy. It was the cycle Ed tended to go into whenever he felt he found something important, only to learn later that it was useless. When Ed got into his mood, Al let him be because he knew he'd be better later. Well, not completely better seeing as they would still have a sick mother and no answer but it was an improvement.

"So did any of you boys get asked by any girls?" Trisha asked coyly, causing both boys to blush slightly.

"Mom! We said we just went with the guys," Ed groaned, clearly put off.

"That doesn't mean that no one asked you," she said, grinning slightly. "Or that you didn't ask anyone."

"I didn't ask anyone, mom," Ed grumbled, looking mildly embarrassed.

"Me neither," Al said with a small laugh as he stared at his clearly uncomfortable brother. "And in case you're wondering, no one asked me either."

"Aw, that's alright," Trisha said sympathetically. "What about you, Ed?"

Al turned and stared at his brother, waiting for his answer and thinking of Winry, who tried so hard to get his attention but failed miserably.

"Nope," Ed said, looking up at his mother. "No one asked me either."

_Is he serious?_ Al thought in disbelief as he stared at his brother. _Is he seriously that oblivious? Did he not understand what Winry was talking about? No one could be that dense. Or is he simply playing dumb…?_

Al shook his head and returned to the few bits of his breakfast that remained on his plate. He would have to talk to his brother about this. He owed it to Winry to find out the truth.

* * *

_Well, this is a little weird_, Riza thought as she marched through a field of snow, decked out in new winter clothes, following after her grandfather, who seemed to have springs in his shoes.

When Riza had gone downstairs for breakfast, her grandfather had declared that this year, he wanted to chop down his own tree instead of having someone run and get him one from a lot, and asked Riza if she wanted to join him.

Truthfully, Riza did not want to go. She hated snow. She hated being cold. And while she did not hate her grandfather, she did dislike being seen out in public with the man where someone she might know could possibly see her.

But when he asked, he looked so happy and hopeful and it was like trying to say no to a puppy and before she knew what was going on, Riza had already said she'd love to. Now, after being donning the new winter jacket, boots, hat and mittens her grandfather had practically forced on her, she was following after the young-at-heart man, hoping that chopping down a tree would not be too much trouble.

"Hurry up, Riza!" Grumman called from in front of her as he stopped in his tracks.

"I'm coming," Riza sighed, causing a puff of steam to float into the air. She picked up her pace as best as she could in the foot high snow drifts and soon caught up with him.

"Isn't this fun?" Grumman asked as he bounced through the snow with a wide smile on his face.

"Just peachy," Riza muttered before she stumbled and almost fell onto her face.

"Whoa!" Grumman exclaimed as he managed to stop her from tumbling to the ground.

"Thanks," Riza muttered as she straightened her hat, which had fallen down over her eyes. "Now which tree do you want?"

Riza looked around and saw hundreds and hundreds of trees. Couldn't he just pick one and go? Why did they have to walk around for a half an hour looking for the perfect tree?

_Quit being such a Grinch_, Riza told herself. _You should be glad he's making such an effort to make a nice Christmas for you._

Riza let her mind wander to what it would be like if she was spending her winter holiday back home like she normally would. Her father would have pulled out the musty, fake Christmas tree by now and set it up in the corner with no decorations on it, as per usual. When Riza was little, she and her mother used to decorate the entire house, including an actual tree, but now that her mother was gone, Riza did not do anything decoration-wise anymore. Her father would be spending all of his time in his study, ignoring Riza like he always did, and Riza would be in her room or in town, ignoring him like she always did.

Riza had always known that she tended to live on the lonelier side of life but now that she had spent so much time in a house filled with love and happiness, she realized her life back home border-lined on neglect.

Riza pushed away all of her negative thoughts about home and put a smile on her face, which her grandfather returned instantly, clearly glad she was enjoying the little trip out into the wilderness.

"Now, Riza, which tree do you think would be good?"

"Uh, really I think any tree would be good," Riza said as she looked around at the enormous twelve-foot trees.

"Well I think we need to find one that really speaks to us!" Grumman said enthusiastically, causing Riza to laugh lightly. "Seriously!"

"Alright," Riza sighed before she began trekking through the snow in search a tree that _spoke_ to her.

As she looked from tree to tree, Riza could not see one that was any different than the other. They were all large, very tall, and very green. What was there to think about?

"Whoa."

Riza eyes zoned in on an enormous, perfectly shaped, deep green tree. It had to be at least fifteen feet tall but she knew that it would still fit in her grandfather's enormous living room.

"Grandfather!" Riza shouted over her shoulder. "I found it!"

Riza listened as her Grandfather stumbled through the snow as fast as he could and stopped right next to her. He too stared up at the gargantuan tree in awe for a moment before he turned and smiled at Riza.

"It's perfect."

* * *

"_So, what are your plans for today_?" Jean asked Roy through his cell phone as he shoved on his winter jacket.

"I got forced into driving Vanessa and Lily to the mall so that they can shop for their friends and shit," Roy growled in annoyance as he searched for his missing tennis shoe.

"_Sounds fun_," Jean said with a laugh.

"Oh yeah, just bunches of fun," the dark haired teen mumbled as he forced his shoes on his feet. "Lily and Vanessa will probably pull me to every freaking store in a twenty mile radius and then they probably still won't get everything and I'll have to take them out again on another day and then I'll have to kill myself."

"May I just say that once again, I am glad that-"

"No one cares, Havoc," Roy snapped as Vanessa's head popped into his room, unannounced. "Hey! Do you mind knocking?"

"We need to go!" Vanessa shouted, ignoring her brother's question. "Get off the phone with your boyfriend and get into the car!"

"_You know what? I hope she comes to school because I would_ love_ to see her yelling at you like that in front of the whole school_," Jean laughed.

"Piss off," Roy sighed before he ended the call and shoved his phone in his pocket. "You know, maybe you should be a little nicer to someone who's doing something for you."

"Why should I?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Because I could not drive you to the mall and leave you in an abandoned parking lot instead," Roy offered with a smirk on his face.

"You would not," the small girl said confidently. "Mom would kill you if you did and you don't have the balls to do that anyhow because you're just a big softy inside."

The two siblings stared at each other for a moment, both waiting for the other to waver. Finally, Roy sighed, rolled his eyes, and walked towards the door, shoving Vanessa lightly as he passed by her.

"You know, just because I can't leave you somewhere it doesn't mean I can't accidentally run over your foot with the car," Roy suggested.

"And then mom would make you take care of me until it was all better," Vanessa said wisely, smirking at him.

"Ah, just shut up and get in the car."

* * *

"Rebecca's like, hell bent on getting Ed back for being mean to Winry," Gracia said with a sigh as she laid about her bedroom.

"_Well the little twerp should get a kick in the pants for what he did,_" Maes said sternly in the phone. "_You don't do that to a girl. Or anyone for that matter_."

"Yeah but I'm afraid Rebecca's gonna like, I don't know, kill him or something," she said nervously, thinking of how passionate her friend's voice had been.

"_I doubt she'd do that_," Maes said in an attempt to calm his girlfriend. "_She's probably just planning on scaring the crap out of him and then she'll make him apologize but it still won't matter because Ed's as dense as they come and he won't even know or care what he's apologizing about_."

"I know…"

"Well, I sure we'll all learn what her plan is at the New Years party," Maes said.

"Yup," Gracia said with a smile. "I can't wait for it. It'll be so much fun."

"I hope so."

* * *

The New Years party had always been a fun time to relax and goof off before exams started. This year, however, the party would serve as a catalyst that would cause many things to change in this tight friendship.

* * *

**(1) My friend fell down the stadium steps at a football game once and did do a headstand on the steps in front of the whole marching band and the majority of the high school.**

**Oooh, so who else is pumped for the New Years party? Cuz it's gonna be interesting. But you'll all just have to stick around and wait to see what happens.  
**

**Hopefully I'll be able to update sooner this time... I wish I had a dollar for everytime I typed that and then thought I would actually update sooner. :\  
**

**Happy Summer everyone!  
**

**-FSK  
**


	32. End of a Holiday

**Hey readers, if you're still out there.**

**So, I know I got out of hand with all the holiday crap, but I was having way too much fun with it and I can really see where it could get monotonous. So I combined like, two chapter and a half chapters and smashed the rest of the holiday junk into one long chapter. I promise, we'll get back to actually interesting stuff and the monumental New Years Eve party very soon. So please just be patient.  
**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I'm enjoying my awesome ass summer  
**

* * *

"Wake up Roy! Santa came! Santa came!"

"We gotta open presents so get your butt out of bed!"

"Wake _up!_"

"No…" Roy groaned pitifully as his sisters jumped up and down on his bed in an attempt to wake him up.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"You gotta wake up!"

"I wanna see what Santa brought me!"

"I don't understand why you're so excited to unwrap a bunch of coal," Roy groaned as he rolled over and stared blearily at the clock; it was only nine in the morning.

"I did not get coal!" tiny Carolena cried.

"Roy, you're the most likely to person here who would get coal," Vanessa said as she plopped down on the edge of his bed. "From what I see you post on Facebook, I wouldn't be surprised if all you got was coal."

"What are you doing on Facebook? You're twelve!" he said, rubbing his face.

"Creeping on you."

"That's nice to know," he sighed before he pushed himself up into a sitting position, causing the girls to cheer. "Now everyone go back downstairs. I promise I'll be down in a minute, alright?"

"Fine," a few of the girls pouted.

"I'm timing you," Vanessa warned as she left the room.

* * *

"Now Rebecca, you have to close your eyes and follow me outside," Rebecca's mom said as she walked in front of her daughter.

"Oh my god, did you get me a car?" Rebecca asked with big wide eyes.

"I don't know," her mother said with a suppressed smile. "Cover you eyes and follow me outside and maybe you'll see."

"Oh my god, if you got me a car," Rebecca started as she covered her eyes with her hands and allowed her mother to lead her through the house, "I will love you forever times infinity."

"It's nice to know I can buy your love."

"You know, some parents have to actually work and create a relationship with their child to get love," Rebecca said before she ran into the corner of the couch. "Ouch! Mom! Are you purposely leading me into stuff?"

"No," her mother said but Rebecca knew she was lying. "Now quit talking and get to walking."

"I'm trying," Rebecca grumbled as she shuffled through the house.

Rebecca's mom stopped in front of the front door and placed a hand on the door knob so that Rebecca could not just reach out and open it before she was ready. Mrs. Catalina smiled as she watched her daughter bounce nervously with her eyes covered.

"Mom!" Rebecca groaned in impatience. "Hurry up! I'm dying here!"

"Alright, alright," she said. "Keep your eyes closed, alright?"

"Yes, yes," Rebecca sighed as her mother opened the door and led her out onto the cool stone of the front porch.

"Alright," Mrs. Catalina said with a wide smile, feeling excitement fill herself. "Open them on the count of three. One… two… three!"

Rebecca's hands flew off of her face and nearly hit her mother in the face. She stared with wide eyes and an open mouth at the unfamiliar yellow jeep that sat in the driveway with a big red bow on top of it.

"OH MY GOD!" Rebecca screamed, jumping up and down. She turned to her mother and hugged her as tightly as possible. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank yoouuu!"_

"It's not new," her mother admitted.

"I don't care in the slightest!" Rebecca said as she continued to hug her mom.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? I freaking love it!" she yelled, finally breaking away from her mom.

"Well I think you'll be even happier when you see what's inside," Mrs. Catalina said with a smile.

"I don't know how I could possibly be happier," Rebecca said as she stepped off the front porch.

"Go open the trunk."

"Huh?" Rebecca muttered, feeling a little confused.

"Go on."

Rebecca ran to the car and stopped in front of the trunk.

"Open it!" Rebecca's mom yelled, running over to her daughter, looking just as excited as Rebecca did when she saw her car.

Excitement returned to Rebecca at full force. What could possibly be inside that was making her mom act like this? Was it a puppy inside? Rebecca had been dying for a puppy ever since she was little. Pushing away her thoughts, Rebecca reached for the latch and opened the trunk. She stared inside and felt her heart skip a beat.

"Merry Christmas, Becca."

Rebecca stared with wide eyes at the smiling man who sat crouched in the back of her car. He wore a military uniform, had dark hair, tan skin, and large dark eyes. Her eyes.

"Dad…?" Rebecca whispered, still in complete disbelief.

"Yup," Robert Catalina said with a nod and a smile. "Now am I gonna sit here all day or are you gonna hug me?"

Without hesitating, Rebecca jumped forwards and hugged her father as tight as she possibly could. She registered that there were tears running down her face but she really didn't care. She didn't care about anything. Not her new car or any other presents that were under the tree. Because Rebecca had just gotten the best gift anyone could have given her. Her father was home, safe and sound.

* * *

"Come on now, Riza," Grumman said as he half-lead, half-dragged Riza into the grand living room with its thirteen-foot Christmas tree and humungous fireplace. "You have to see what Santa brought you!"

Riza opened her mouth to comment on how her grandfather should really just give up on the whole Santa Claus idea, seeing as she had not even believed it when she was a child but she kept her mouth shut instead. Her grandfather was clearly very excited for their first Christmas together; he had already begun planning for next year.

"Merry Christmas, Riza," he said warmly once they had finally reached their destination, looking a little bit teary. "Go and open your gifts."

Riza's jaw had dropped when she took in the ridiculous pile of present. She nodded her head awkwardly as she walked slowly towards the pile of gifts while feeling as if she was on display. Riza knelt down on the ground and picked up a present at random which happened to have her name on it. Hesitantly, she slit the paper with her slender finger and pulled out a new, soft brown sweater.

"I saw it and thought it would look nice on you," Grumman said as he pulled up one of the large armchairs and sat down behind Riza.

"It's lovely," she said quietly, feeling grateful for the simple gift. "Thank you."

"Oh, you're welcome," he said with a smile that warmed Riza's heart. "Go and open some more."

A few minutes later, Riza stared at her new gifts, which mainly consisted of new clothes (which were really the only thing Riza really mentioned she might want for Christmas) and gift cards, and felt extremely grateful for everything her grandfather had gotten her. She knew that there were more gifts, since Grumman continued to tell her to unwrap more things as if watching her was the most exciting thing in the world, but she already felt she had gotten enough. Riza had already received more presents than she would during a normal Christmas.

Inside, Riza was filled with many odd and somewhat conflicting feelings, which left her confused and quiet. Why was her grandfather being so nice to her? Did she really deserve all these things? She had only asked for a few things, not wanting to seem greedy but also because she really did not want much else, and her grandfather responded with a mountain of gifts. Were all grandfathers like this?

"What's the matter, Riza?" Grumman asked quietly as he noticed Riza's solemn face and quiet demeanor.

"It's just…" Riza muttered as she fiddled nervously with a ribbon while she struggled to find the correct words. "It's just that you didn't have to get me all of these new things."

"Oh but Riza, I _wanted_ to give you these things," Grumman said quietly. "You're such a good girl and you _deserve_ these things."

Riza looked up at her grandfather, noticing an odd feeling surging through her body that she could not quite place. Grumman's grey eyes stared into Riza's warm brown ones for a moment, his smile a little solemn and his eyes on the sadder side, before he took a deep breath and returned his features to their usual smiling state.

"Well, there are still more things to open," Grumman said, getting up from his chair to walk to the other side of the tree. He returned with a large rectangular box under his arm and handed it to Riza, who accepted it hesitantly. "Open this one."

Riza slit the festive paper with her finger and pulled the majority off with one swipe. When she took in the box, she was sure her mouth dropped a little and Riza felt herself squirm uncomfortably. She looked up at her grandfather with wide eyes and spoke in a quiet and even voice.

"Oh, grandfather," Riza said, glancing back down at the box. "You didn't have to buy me a new _laptop._"

"You _needed _one," he said firmly. "Your other one's probably close to a _decade _old."

"But it was still working just _fine_," Riza said in a stiffer voice, looking up at her grandfather with a harder expression in her eyes. "You didn't need to waste so much money on me."

"It wasn't a waste!" Grumman exclaimed, looking slightly outraged. "You deserve to get nice things every now and again! And it's an investment. Sooner or later, that old computer would have broken down and it'll be much better for college to have a new computer, don't you think?"

Riza shut her mouth and pressed her lips into a firm line as she stared up at the old man. He was right, probably. Who was she kidding? How many times had she just used Rebecca's laptop to write a paper or something because it was so much faster than her own piece of junk? She did need a new one.

"Thank you," Riza said quietly, relenting on the outside even though inside of her mind, she was fighting a firm battle against the lavish gifts. "It's great."

"I'm glad you like it," Grumman said with a smile, although he looked suddenly worn out.

"Well, I'm just gonna take my things up to my room," Riza said, clutching her new computer to her chest.

"Would you like some help? I can get someone to-"

"No," Riza said a little too quickly to seem normal. "No, I've got it."

"Well… alright then," Grumman said with a nod, his voice a little uneasy. "You'll be joining me in the parlor for lunch, right?"

"Right."

"Alright then, Merry Christmas, Riza," Grumman said as he smiled down at the blond.

"Merry Christmas, grandfather," Riza said quietly as she forced a small smile onto her face.

Riza watched as Grumman turned away slowly and walked out of the great room, feeling like a deflated balloon. Riza turned and stared down at her present, which she did not feel she deserved. Feeling suddenly embarrassed and slightly upset for reasons she was not quiet sure of, Riza picked up a few unwrapped boxes and ran hurriedly up to her room where she flung her presents down on the floor, with little disregard on how hard they hit the ground, and collapsed on her bed, feeling completely confused.

* * *

"I hope you boys enjoyed your gifts," Trisha said as she sipped her cup of coffee from her favorite armchair. Edward and Alphonse sat on the floor in front of their large pine tree, admiring each other's new gifts.

While the Elrics were atheists, they still celebrated Christmas, sort of. The family used the over commercialized holiday to spend time together, exchanged meaningful gifts, have a little fun, and eat a lot more delicious food cooked by Trisha.

"Thanks a lot, mom," Al said as he got onto his knees and hugged his mom as tightly as he dared.

"Yeah, thanks," Ed said with a modest smile as he brushed his hands over his pile of gifts.

He glanced at the armchair, which would have usually been taken by their father, but fortunately, for Ed, Hohenheim had to be away for the majority of break, which meant that Ed was freed from his heavy stares and attempt to talk over something that really did not need to be talked over.

"Here, mom, open this one," Al said as he passed his immaculately wrapped gift to his mother; seriously, did Al spend an hour wrapping each present or something?

"I wonder what this'll be," Trisha said with a wide smile as she carefully unwrapped the package, as if she did not want to destroy Al's masterpiece. Finally, after several long moments, Trisha pulled out a new pair of powder blue slippers to which Trisha let out a small sound of delight. "Aw, Alphonse, thank you. I did need some new slippers."

"Yeah you did," he said as he glanced at the rather beat up pair that currently covered his mother's feet.

While Trisha replaced her old slippers with her new pair, Ed dove under the Not-A-Christmas Tree to receive his badly wrapped present for his mother. Ed felt a slight wave of annoyance wash over him as he compared his own wrapping skills to his brother but soon ignore it. Were there really any bragging rights in the ability to wrap a box nicely? He didn't think so. There would be no tip in the scales because of Al's newest domestic capability.

"Here, mom," Ed said quietly as he handed his mother his poorly wrapped gift; what did it matter how nice a present was wrapped when it was all just going to end up on the floor?

"And what could this be, hmm?" Trisha asked as she stared at her eldest son, who shrugged. "Oh, Edward, thank you very much. How did you know I wanted this book?"

"Just a guess," he said slyly, feeling like his gift was not very acceptable.

"Well I love it," Trisha said with such honesty in her voice it almost made Ed feel better; almost.

Edward felt as if he had failed his mother once again. The one present he desperately wanted to give his mother for years on end, he could not give her. He could not make his mother's sickness go away.

Trisha bent down and kissed Edward on his check before she hugged him tightly while whispering thanks for the gift. She then turned and did the same to Al, who returned his hug and thanked her for his gifts. While Al sorted his gifts into one pile, Ed tried his best to ignore the slightly stinging pain he felt in his chest.

_I'll find a way, mom_, Ed told himself confidently as he watched his mother eagerly scan the book he had purchased for her with happiness in her eyes. Trisha noticed him watching her after a moment and smiled at him, which he returned. _Just you wait._

* * *

Winry stared around the piles of new gifts and the crumpled up wrapping paper that surrounded the tree and tried to take it all in. Paninya was playing with Den and her knew chew toy while she laughed loudly over the television playing the background. Her grandmother was sitting in her large armchair, which only dwarfed her even more, while she smoked her pipe. It was nice. Enjoyable even.

It just was not anywhere near the same.

She appreciated everything her grandmother and friend were trying to do today so that Winry would be happy but there was not much they could do to make her feel all that much better. Winry knew that they must know that as well so it only made her appreciate their efforts more.

Winry glanced at her gifts and knew that later on she would appreciate them fully but right now, the only gifts she truly wanted where on the other side of the world and she knew that they would not appear under the tree no matter how hard she tried.

Winry's depressing thoughts were then disrupted by the buzzing of her cell phone. She reached into the pocket of her bathrobe and saw that she had a new text message from Jack.

**Merry Christmas, Winry! :D**

Winry smiled slightly at the text but the message seemed to draw more conflicting feelings to mind. Jack was nice and sweet and, well, almost completely perfect when it came to teenage boys. Nevertheless, she just did not want him like that, which only made her feel like something was wrong with her. Who would say no to a nice guy like that who was so clearly pinning after her?

An idiot like her, clearly, because no matter how she tried to imagine her with Jack, in the end of her forced fantasies, she always seemed to end up with a blond-haired boy instead.

Love just was a real pain in the ass.

* * *

"Did mom tell you?" Alphonse asked as he walked into Ed's room several days later without knocking.

"Tell me what?" Ed asked without looking up from the book he was reading.

"That dad has something else he has to do before he comes back and he won't be home again until the fifth," Al answered as he sat down on the corner of Ed's bed.

"What?" Ed asked as he snapped his book closed and turned to look at his younger brother; Al could sense the anger radiating from Ed. "He promised her that he'd be back for New Years."

"Yeah, well, things happen," he muttered uncomfortably.

"Well this is bullshit," Ed growled. "He can't just leave her here alone. He's her husband for shit sakes. What's so damn important that he can't be here?"

"I don't know. Mom didn't say."

"Well I'll just stay with her until the fourth and then fly back to school that night and hopefully she'll be alright until he gets his ass back home."

"Ed…"

"What?" he snapped.

"Why do you have to stay? Mom'll be fine," Al said gently. "She's been here alone before and-"

"And every time I'm worried sick about her until Dad gets back here," Ed interrupted. "Why should I go when I can stay and make sure she's alright?"

"Because you need to get back to school, brother."

"And school doesn't start until the fifth so I don't see what the problem is."

Before Al could say another word that might possibly persuade his brother, Edward was up and out of the room. Al continued to sit there for a moment as he listened to his brother stomping throughout the house, wondering what he could do to make his brother stop worrying so much about their mother's health.

"So I take it he did not take the news well."

Al turned and saw his mother standing in the doorway, wrapped up in her bathrobe, looking concerned. The younger Elric sighed and shook his head in answer.

"Did you _expect_ him to take it well_?_"

"I had hoped that maybe he would take my request to heart and go have some fun instead of spending all his time inside, worrying about his old mom," Trisha said stiffly as she stared down the hallway.

"Well I'm afraid you've gotta lower your expectations," Al sighed. "I know he'll be mad at me for saying this, but Ed didn't go to the dance."

Trisha did not comment or ever look remotely surprised but shook her head in response. She took a few steps inside the room and sat down next to her younger son.

"He thought he found something, didn't he?" Trisha asked sadly.

"Yeah."

Trisha stared at the floor sadly for a moment before she tapped her hands against her thighs, brought her head back up, and smiled at Al.

"He is such a determined boy, your brother," she said with a note of pride in her voice. "He's determined almost to a fault but it's still something to be admired."

"I could try and talk to him again," Al suggested, even though he knew it would end in failure.

"No, no," Trisha said as she placed a gentle hand on Al's shoulder. "I'll go talk to him. Your mother can be very stern when she wants to be."

"You don't need to tell me twice," Al said with a grimace, which caused Trisha to let out a small chuckle.

"Well, I'll go track down the wild child now and see if I can knock some sense into him," she said with a grin before she got up and walked out of the room.

Al sat there for another moment before he got up and walked to his own room where he hoped that maybe this time, their mother would be able to knock some sense into him and make him act his age for once.

* * *

"Edward."

Edward turned from his spot on the porch swing outside and saw his mother as she walked towards him, dressed in nothing but regular clothes and her bathrobe.

"Mom," Ed said quickly as he stood up. "It's freezing out here. You need to get back inside before you get sick or something."

"I am afraid to say so but it's a little late to worry so much about my health," Trisha said in a pleasant voice as she walked over to Ed and sat down on the bench next to him. She patted the spot where Ed had previously sat, indicating that she wanted to him to sit. Edward bulked for a moment before he gave up and sat down next to his mother on the cold swing.

"It's not a good idea for anyone to be sitting out here in nothing but some house clothes," Ed grumbled as he stared at his lap.

"Well isn't that what you're doing?" she asked as she inspected Ed's jeans, t-shirt, and his red hoodie. "But I guess the cold is an incentive to make this quick."

"Make _what_ quick?"

Trisha stared at him with her warm eyes for a moment before she dived into the matter headfirst.

"Edward, you are going to spend New Years at the Academy with your friends," Trisha ordered in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

"What?" Ed asked. "Why do I have to? Why can't I stay here and make sure you're alright before dad comes back?"

"Because you need to stop acting like a hermit and go outside and have some fun with your friends!"

"Because I never do anything but stay inside," Ed said with a huff. "You know I could never just stay inside twenty-four-seven. I would die."

"Yes but from what I've been hearing, you only go out when you either have nothing to go on that might help me, or when you're _forcibly_ dragged from you room," Trisha countered.

"But-!"

"Now honey," Trisha said in a kind but firm voice as she place a hand on Ed's leg. "What you're doing is very noble and very sweet but you would make your mother happier by ignoring the books and going out to play instead."

"But-!"

"You only have one time to be a teenager and some point in the future, you're going to look back and feel upset that you wasted them all inside."

"No I won't!" Ed protested. "Not if all the time I've spent helps you!"

"But sweetie, what if it doesn't?" Trisha asked in a softer voice. "What if all that time was just wasted on me?"

The look Edward gave her felt like a punch to her gut. His eyes boiled with anger and possible confusion and he looked as if he might attack her, although Trisha knew that he would never.

"Nothing I do for you is a waste of time!" Edward shouted. "And it won't be wasted on you because in the end, you'll be healthy and happy once again and then you'll all be glad I took all that time to search for your cure!"

Now Trisha felt as if she was on the verge of tears; her son was really something else. She gave her head a little shake of the head to clear her thoughts and knew right then and there that there would be no talking Edward out of this.

"But Edward, can you please just make your dear mom happy and please go spend New Years with you friends," she said in a gentle voice.

Edward clenched his jaw for a moment while he stared at his mother before he sighed and nodded his head slowly, which caused Trisha to smile.

"Great," she said as she embraced her elder son. "And Al will make sure to get photo's to prove that you were there."

"Fine," Ed sighed and Trisha knew that there was a bubble of annoyance forming in Ed's brain for his younger brother.

"Good," she said with a nod of her head. "Now let's get inside before you catch a cold. You don't want to be too sick to spend New Years with your friends."

"Right."

* * *

"So did you hear from Win?" Rebecca asked as she lounged in the backseat of her new jeep with her bare feet pressed against the windows.

"_About what?_" Gracia asked on the other line of the phone.

"She's apparently sneaking her one friend from her old school to come to the party," Rebecca answered. "I looked her up on Facebook and she seems cool but you never know who might cramp our style."

"_I wasn't aware that we had style to cramp_," Gracia said.

"You know what I mean!"

"_No I actually don't_."

"Whatever," she sighed. "So do you know where I am right now?"

"_I'm going to guess in your car but what do I know_," Gracia said.

"You are correct," the dark haired girl began before she started her praise of her new car. "Oh my god, I can't wait to drive it! I'm leaving tomorrow morning and then I'm driving, all by myself, to school. It's going to be legendary! I just wish I had someone to do my first road trip with!"

"_Can't you like, pick up Riza before you get to the school?_" Gracia suggested.

"Well even if I could, seeing as that bitch is already at freaking school already, it wouldn't be the same because I would be alone for like, ninety-percent of the trip."

"_Oh well, just make sure to drive safely and don't die_."

"Thanks, you sound like my mom."

"_It's because I care. But I gotta go now. I'll see you tomorrow._"

"Yeah, see ya."

"_Bye!_"

* * *

Riza, who had arrived back at the dorms earlier today, had been enjoying the piece and quiet of East dorm for several hours but at around three in the morning, the grace period appeared to have ended as several loud shouts could be heard from down the hall.

"I'm starving, man!" Roy shouted so loudly his voice rang down the hall.

"Didn't you eat anything on the plane? Hey! Quit eating all my snacks!" Jean cried.

Riza groaned and rolled over in her bed so that she could stare at her glowing alarm clock. She had been asleep for about two hours and her brain felt fuzzy from being pulled out of such a deep sleep.

"Those idiots," she growled as she pushed herself up and out of her bed.

She grabbed a hoodie at random and pulled it on to block out the chill from the cool dorm room; as an afterthought, she reached out and grabbed the plastic squirt gun from her desk and marched out of the room towards the loud sounds of two of her friends.

Once she was at the door, Riza forced it open without preamble and took in her friends shocked faces for a fraction of a second before she pulled the trigger and shot them both with water.

"GAH!"

"RIZA! What the hell, man?"

"Can you two please shut your respective traps while other people are trying to sleep?" she shouted before she finally put her gun down. "I mean, do you have to shout to each other when you're a foot away?"

"Well you didn't have to shoot at us," Roy grumbled as he wiped his face clean with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Yeah, we're not some misbehaving dogs," Jean sighed as he pulled off his wet sweater and tossed it onto the ground.

"If you were my dogs, you'd be trained much better," she said coolly. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed."

"If I was your dog, I'd have run away the first chance I got," Jean muttered as Riza stepped out into the hall.

In answer, Riza smirked and threw the gun at Jean's face with amazing accuracy. She slipped out of the room while Jean's yelled followed after her down the hall.

* * *

"Hell-_lo_!"

Later on in the day, Riza, Jean, and Roy looked up from the television set they had been staring at and turned their attention towards the door, which stood slightly ajar.

"Sounds like Sheska," Riza said with a smile as she got up and left the room. Sure enough, there in the hallway, was Sheska as she tried to pull four heavy bags towards her room. "Sheska!"

"Hey, Riza!" Sheska exclaimed gratefully. "Is anyone else here?"

"Just me, Roy, and Jean so far," Riza answered as she took two of Sheska's bags from her. "But I think Bec and Win and Maes and Gracia are supposed to be coming sometime today."

"That's what I heard," the tiny brunette said as she struggled to find her key room key. "I also heard Winry's bringing one of her friends from back home."

"Yeah," Riza nodded as Sheska began to dig through one of her bags. "Why didn't you put your key in like, you pockets or something?"

"Well I thought I did!" Sheska declared as she began emptying her bags out onto the floor. "But I changed into these pants at the last second and I think I tossed those other jeans back in here. AHA! There it is!"

"So are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Well we've got some food down in the boys room," she said as she gestured over her shoulder. "At least, there was some five minutes ago."

"Well let's hurry up before it's all gone."

* * *

"So you're like, five minutes away from the airport?" Winry asked Rebecca as she and Paninya tried to maneuver through the crowded airport.

"Who are you talking to?" Paninya asked as she stared at the phone in Winry's hand. "Because it better be a taxi."

"It's even better than a taxi," Winry said to Paninya before she returned to her phone. "So where are you?"

"_I just passed up a sign that said there was an exit for the airport in like, a mile,_" Rebecca said on the other line of the phone_. "Although I totally hate trying to drive through an airport, I'll come and pick you guys up if you like."_

"That would be _freaking amazing_ if you could. Taxi fare is through the roof and also, it'll probably take us an hour before we could get a taxi to drive us back anyhow."

"_Well I'll be out front, alright?_" Rebecca asked.

"Great."

"_Cool, I'll see you in like, ten minutes. I can't wait for you to see my car!"_

"Can't wait."

Winry shoved her phone into her coat pocket and grinned widely at Paninya.

"Thank god I decided to check my phone or else we would have been stuck here for another hour."

"I'm guessing that was a friend of yours?"

"Yeah, Rebecca. The kinda crazy girl I told you about."

"Um, dark hair, right?"

"Yeah. Well she got a car for Christmas and her parents let her road-trip down here and she just happened to be about a mile away when I noticed she called me."

"So that means we won't have to pay like, forty bucks for a taxi?" Paninya asked excitedly.

"Yup. And we can get back to the school sooner."

"Sweet."

"Let's go get my bags."

After struggling through baggage claim and the overcrowded escalators, Winry and Paninya managed to struggle outside into the cool, crisp air. Winry's eyes quickly tried to spot Rebecca's bright yellow jeep, a picture of which she had seen on Facebook.

"Hey! Winry!"

Winry turned to her right and saw Rebecca leaning out of the passenger side window of an offensively bright car. She waved to the girl before she gripped onto Paninya's arm and led her over to the car.

"Bec, this is my friend, Paninya," Winry said with a smile as she gratefully climbed into the passenger's seat. "Paninya, this is Bec."

"Hi, Winry's told me about you," Rebecca said with a wide smile.

"Likewise," Paninya said with a small laugh.

"So how long are you staying?" Rebecca asked as she pulled out of her parking space and began the arduous task of trying to get out of the filled parking lot.

"My plane leaves late Saturday night. Didn't think it would be a bright idea to leave early on the first."

"Smart move on your part," Rebecca said with a grin. "But this makes things awesomer because now we have _two_ New Years virgins to deflower."

"Why do I feel like I'm going to be raped?" Winry asked.

"Because you overreact," Rebecca said with a wave of her hand. Rebecca then reached out and rubbed the dashboard gently with wide eyes and a large smile. "Isn't my baby just completely _WONDERFUL_? It's like, totally perfect for me."

"It is a sweet ride," Paninya agreed as she stretched out a little.

"I know, right? This is the best freaking Christmas present ever."

"You are so lucky," Winry said as she looked around the Jeep.

"I know, right?" Rebecca squealed again.

"I wish my parent's got me a car," Winry said. "Then again, it's not exactly the kind of thing you have shipped without them being there to see me. Maybe when they get back they can get me a car."

Through Winry stumbling words, she tried her best to keep her tone light but she knew their friend was buying it. Her voice caught at random places and there was a knot forming in her stomach. Against her will, her mind instantly began to form memories of her parents and things only got worse when Winry thought of how they had been absent at the holidays and how lonely she had felt sometimes.

There was a squeezing sensation in her throat, her eyes began to prickle with tears, and Winry knew she was just moments away from crying her eyes out. She just wished her tears could stay inside until they had arrived back at school, where she could at least excuse herself to the bathroom and cry there.

_Stop it_, Winry ordered herself as she tried her best to stop herself from breaking down completely in front of two of her best friends. _You need to stop crying like such a little baby every five minutes! You're practically an adult. Act like it._

Winry blinked, coughed slightly, and forced a smile to her face but Winry knew that the grin probably looked more like a grimace.

"It's alright, Win," Rebecca said in a quiet voice that did not really sound like the exuberant girls usual voice. "I'm sure they'll be able to fly back soon to see you. And it's not like they're doing something blatantly dangerous. They're doctors. They'll be fine."

"I know," Winry said through her faltering grimace of a smile. "I know they're alright. I just miss them is all."

"I_ totally _know what you mean," Rebecca said with a heavy sigh as she returned to a voice that sounded much more like her usual self, although still subdued. "I remember when my dad was temporarily stationed at an army base somewhere in Europe. And he was in this _completely_ safe area where there wasn't a war or anything but I was still crying over him being gone for so long."

At Rebecca's words, Winry's fake expression slipped off of her face and she felt a wave of mixed emotions wash over her; some of the emotions that crashed against her included pity, remorse, and shame.

Why the hell was she bitching and crying about her parents being in Africa? Sure, it was far and Winry hadn't seen them since August but they were doing a relatively safe thing and they were not fighting in some deadly war. There was a ninety-nine-point-nine-nine percent chance of her parents returning to her completely safe and sound. But Rebecca's dad, what were his odds?

"I'm sorry," Winry blurted out.

"For what?" Rebecca asked with a small laugh.

"It's just that… it's just that I feel like a complete idiotic, whiney bitch with how much I cry and complain about my parents being gone and you are always happy and cheerful and you dad is in a freaking _warzone_. You have a reason to bitch and moan. I however, do not."

Winry watched as Rebecca pulled her face into a slight scowl. She did not speak for a moment but when she did, it was in a calm and collected voice that Winry had never heard Rebecca use.

"Winry, believe it or not, you _do_ have room to bitch, alright? Sure, I'll agree with you when you say that your parents situation is less stressful than the one my dad's in, but it's not like I have the monopoly on worrying over parents."

"But I still feel wrong whining when you never whine," Winry mumbled as she placed with the pull strings of her hoodie.

"Winry, I don't _whine_ as much as you because I've gotten used to it," she said slowly. "My dad's been in the military since before I was born. I've had _seventeen years_ to get used to the idea of not seeing him for months and months at a time. You have what, five months?"

"But still…"

"Winry," Rebecca said in a stern voice. "It's alright. I swear. I won't feel weird if you want to cry ever now and again. I just don't cry because one, I don't want people to freak out over me being upset, and two, my dad wouldn't want me to be crying over him when I could be having fun instead."

Winry let Rebecca's words ring around her head so that she could commit them to memory. Rebecca did have a point there; she doubted her parents would be very happy if they realized just how upset she got sometimes over them.

"So let's go have some fun at our rockin' New Years party instead of mopping around, alright?"

"Alright," Winry agreed with a weary smile.

* * *

"Edward, are you all packed?"

Ed looked up from his book and saw his mother's head poking into his room. He instinctively took in her appearance, noting that even though she was looking a little paler than usual, her eyes were bright and awake.

"Yeah I'm all packed," Ed said as he pushed himself up into a sitting position and motioned over to his two overstuffed black suitcases. "Is Al?"

"Oh, he's still running around like a chicken with his head cut off while he tried to find those last few elusive items but I think he'll be ready soon," Trisha said with a slight laugh as she breezed into the room and sat down on the edge of Ed's bed.

"Well what's he looking for? I might have a few of his things in here," Ed said before he added with a slight annoyance in his voice. "I had to go to his room to track down a few of my things."

"Oh I don't know but if he gets desperate, I'm sure he'll come to us for help," she said with a sigh.

Just then, a pair of heavy footsteps could be heard at they ran down the hallway. A moment later, Al's round and wide-eyed face appeared in the doorway.

"Have you seen my Algebra II book anywhere?" he asked in a slightly breathless voice. "I swear I've searched this place twice over."

"Are you sure you didn't leave it at school?" Trisha asked gently.

"I'm pretty sure I brought it home. I remember doing my study guide the other day with Russ."

"Did you leave it at Russ's house?" Ed asked with a slight grin on his face.

"Oh, maybe. I'll go call him," Al said before he ran down the hall to his room.

Ed and Trisha caught eyes and instantly began laughing. Unfortunately, Trisha's laughter quickly turned into rough, chocking coughs that worried Ed to no end. He reached for the water bottle sitting on his bedside table and handed it to his mother. Trisha took a sip of water and after a pause, the coughing fit seemed to have stopped.

"Mom…"

"I'm fine, Edward," she said in a stern but kind voice. "Just got something caught in my throat is all."

"Mom," he continued to press, looking worried.

"For god's sakes, Edward, people can cough," Trisha said impatiently. "Just because someone coughs doesn't mean they're about to drop dead. Heaven forbid you catch me sneezing or you'll want to whisk me off to the hospital."

"I'm just worried about you, mom," Ed growled with a frown on his face.

"Well I'm worried about _you_," she said loudly. "You need to stop thinking about me for one minute and try thinking about yourself for once. You are _wasting_ your teenage years worrying over you old mom. You have more important things to worry about."

"What's more important than you?" Ed countered defiantly. "What's so important that I would risk missing something that might save your life?"

Trisha fixed her eldest son with a hard look before she sighed, stood up, and walked to the door. She stopped in the doorway, turned around and said in a quiet but powerful voice, "That, Edward, is up to you to find out for yourself. There are some questions whose answer you can't find in a book."

* * *

**Oh Trisha... you're so fun to write. Especially when you're the kick in the pants Ed needs.**

**But yeah, promise to actually get the next chapter up within the month so we can start having some fun with this story again. Sorry again that I got sidetracked with all the holiday crap.  
**

**Please send a review my way. I really appreciate it. :)  
**

**Happy summer  
**

**-FSK  
**


	33. Party Disrupted

**Hello everyone, sorry I couldn't get to this sooner... but here it finally is! :D**

**So for anyone who cares, I've spent the last week at marching band camp (no, not like American Pie band camp) and it was hot as hell and I got super tan and I almost died of exhaustion because, as a Senior, I got to tp freshmen houses as initiation, which meant that I mainly got five hours of sleep each night of camp, that ran from nine in the morning to five at night.  
**

**I'm dead tried, here's your chapter.  
**

* * *

"So, Paninya, you live on your own?" Sheska asked with wide eyes as the girls sat on the floor of Winry and Sheska's dorm room.

"Yup," Paninya answered proudly before she took a long sip from her boozy drink.

While the boys - Roy, Jean, and Maes – worked on preparations on the Island for the huge party tomorrow night, the girls were enjoying a bit of pre-party inebriation. Winry, who had been wary of drinking ever since she embarrassed her drunken ass at the Halloween party months ago, was sitting a bit to the side while she quietly sipped her completely booze-free soda and watched with quiet delight as her friends seemed to be getting along with Paninya.

"That is like, the coolest thing ever!" Sheska squealed with glass-shattering shrillness. "I wish I could live on my own and not have to deal with my crazy ass family."

"Oh, it's no big deal," Paninya said with a cool shrug and a small, slightly smug smile on her face; Winry could tell her friend was enjoying the attention and admiration. "I think this place is pretty awesome as well. You guys get to chill with friends twenty-four-seven while I'm working, trying to pay my damn rent."

Talk of rent and work seemed to mystify Sheska completely but it was clear that Gracia, Rebecca, and Riza were even impressed with how grown up Paninya appeared to be.

"Anywho… when the hell are these boys coming back?" Paninya asked before she downed the rest of the contents of her red cup. "I wanna meet them before I get too sloshed to remember them!"

"I don't know where the hell they are," Riza muttered as she glanced at the time; it was now close to one in the morning. "They should have been back by now."

"Maybe there was a problem," Gracia suggested calmly.

"Or they're waiting for Campus Patrol to get out of the way?" Sheska suggested.

"Yeah but it's not like there's a curfew to break right now," Rebecca reminded her with a roll of the eyes. "Term doesn't technically start until Monday. What can they do except escort them back to the dorm with a stern look and a slap on the wrist?"

"Well maybe they brought a few bottles back and they don't want to be caught."

"Or maybe they tipped over and are now floating down the icy river," Rebecca suggested with a twisted smile.

"Hey! Don't even joke about my Maesy floating down that ice-trap of a river!" Gracia exclaimed with horror in her eyes.

"Alright, alright, your little _Maesy's _fine," Rebecca sighed heavily before the twisted smile returned to her face. "But Mustang and Havoc are swirling among the ice-chunks as we speak."

"I think you have a problem."

* * *

"Hughes! Do you have the lights hooked up yet? I'm freezing my balls off here!" Roy yelled as he moved around the dark shadows on the ground and slowly made his way over to his best friend.

"Just another second," Maes said with a sigh a few feet away. "In the meantime, go make sure Jean's still alive. He went to go piss a few minutes ago and I haven't heard him since."

"I don't wanna go searching for that idiot in the woods," Roy whined as he watched his friend fight with a string of multicolored Christmas lights. "If he's not back in five minutes, we can just leave him here until the party."

Roy watched as Maes paused for a second, mulled over the idea of leaving Jean to his devices on the island for twenty-four hours, before he shrugged and returned to his work on the lights.

"Doesn't seem like such a bad idea to me," the bespectacled boy said as he pulled at a string of lights. "There's some food and drink here and a soft place to sleep. He could start a bon fire and sleep by it. Wouldn't kill him to leave him here."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Oh, fuck you guys."

The two dark-haired teens turned and saw a slightly disgruntled Jean as he marched towards them through the dead forest.

"What? It's not like you haven't fallen asleep on the island before," Roy said with a shrug.

"Yeah, when it was sixty degrees out, not six."

"Quit being such a baby," Roy said with a roll of his eyes. "It's like, forty degrees out, alright."

"Oh, like you would stay here all night in this weather?" Jean asked skeptically.

"Yeah I would and I wouldn't whine about it either."

"Hmm, sounds like we've got a bet on our hands," the blond said with a smile as he held out his right hand.

"Sure does," Roy said as he stepped forwards and extended his right hand.

"No it sure as hell doesn't," Maes said sternly as he dropped down from the ladder he had been standing on and pushed the two hands away. "Neither of you two are staying here overnight for the sake of a dumb bet."

"But you totally just agreed to let Jean stay here," Roy protested.

"I was joking, idiot," Maes said deadpan. "Now let's get back to the dorm before either of you two get any more ideas."

* * *

"Edward, wake up. You're going to miss your flight if you sleep in any longer."

Edward slowly opened his eyes and eventually saw his mother standing over him, looking a little pale, while her hand rested gently on his shoulder. Ed rolled over onto his back and yawned while his mother let out a small sigh.

"What time is it?" he asked through a yawn.

"Almost noon," Trisha answered as she walked over to the window and opened up the blinds.

"We don't have to be at the airport until two," Ed groaned as he curled up again and covered his eyes to block out the offensive light.

"Yes but you both still have to wash up, eat, and I assume finish packing, since you always put it off until the last minute," Trisha said as she placed her hands on her hips and stared down at her older son. "Not to mention that the traffic going towards the airport will be terrible."

"Alright, alright," Ed mumbled as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "I'm up. You win."

"Good," Trisha said before she bent down and kissed Ed on the top of his head. "Now go get dressed while I wake up Alphonse and you better be downstairs in a half an hour."

"Okay, I got it," Ed said through another yawn while he laid back down on his bed.

As Trisha's footsteps got softer and softer, Edward's eyelids began to feel heavier and heavier. Before he knew what was happening, his mother was shaking him awake once again.

"If I have to wake you up again, Edward, I'll toss your breakfast out for the birds," Trisha said sternly before she walked out of the room once again.

Not wanting to risk the loss of his breakfast, Ed finally got out of bed and began walking towards the bathroom. He passed Al's room and poked his head in for a moment to see that his younger brother had fallen asleep again. Smiling and shaking his head slightly, Ed continued to walk towards the bathroom.

Edward's eyes itched and his yawns never seemed to want to stop. He and Al had stayed up well past when the sun had risen, busy researching, and now he was feeling the effects. Well, Ed thought, at least he could sleep on the plane ride to the Academy. He knew that once he got back to school, he would not really have time to sleep or research until after his friend's crazy New Years party was over.

Two hours later, after both he and Al had washed up, eaten, and, as Trisha predicted, finished their last minute packing, Ed and Al were standing outside, saying goodbye to their mother as the taxi driver forced their luggage into the trunk.

"Promise you'll have fun with your friends tonight," Trisha said as she hugged Edward tightly.

"I will," Ed said with a slight sigh as he returned his mother's hug. "Promise you won't overexert yourself."

"I will," Trisha said, although, Ed noted, she sounded slightly exasperated.

Trisha let go of her older son and wrapped her arms around Alphonse before letting him go. The two brothers waved goodbye before they got into the taxicab. Ed watched his mother as the car drove away from his home until he could not see her anymore, unaware of what would happen the next time he laid eyes on her.

* * *

Winry felt herself being pulled from the wonderful clutches of sleep and back to reality by Rebecca's loud and commanding voice as she yelled at someone. Groaning slightly, Winry rolled over and opened her eyes.

Rebecca sat in the middle of the room on the floor while she painted her fingernails a bright bubble-gum pink and chatted loudly on the phone with someone. Groaning some more, Winry stared at the time on the clock on her desk and saw that it was now close to two in the afternoon. She guessed she should get up if it was so late in the day already.

"Oh my god, I know, right?" Rebecca squealed into her cell phone as she inspected the bright pink color on her fingernails. "So pumped for tonight! It's totally going to be the best one yet!"

"Bec," Winry sighed as she rubbed her eyes with the heals of her hands.

"Yeah, Vato's already got all the shit up there," Rebecca continued loudly, seemingly oblivious to Winry.

"Becca," Winry said in a slightly louder voice as she slid from the top bunk; Winry noted that Paninya was still crashed on the floor in the corner, dead asleep to the world.

"I'm seriously freaking out here! I cannot wait for tonight! It's going to be the _best night ever!_" Rebecca screamed the last words into her phone, which caused Paninya in the corner to groan slightly.

"_Rebecca!_" Winry yelled as she stomped over to her friend, who finally looked up at her. "Who the hell are you talking to? And why are you in my room while I'm trying to sleep?"

"Riza was doing some important shit or something so she told me to 'go scream into my phone somewhere else', so I did," Rebecca said as she pulled the phone away from her mouth.

"And why did you pick _here _to scream on your phone?" Winry asked in exasperation. "Why couldn't you have gone to the Common Room or the stairwell or anywhere besides a place where people are trying to sleep?"

"Because one, the Common Room was like, all the way down there," Rebecca pointed to the floor lamely, "and I had just finished painting my toenails when Riza told me to buzz off," she then pointed to her bright pink toenails, "so I didn't want to go far. Secondly, Riza and Gracia said that you guys needed to get up soon anyhow, so I felt I could talk and wake you guys up at the same time."

"Alright, but who are you talking to?" Winry asked through a yawn.

Just then, the dorm room door burst open to revel Sheska chatting loudly on her own cell phone. Rebecca turned and smiled widely at Sheska and quickly returned her phone to her mouth.

"Hey, girl!" Rebecca screeched and a second later, Winry could hear Rebecca's voice coming out of Sheska's phone. "Winry's awake!"

"Hey, Win!" Sheska smiled at Winry but talked into the cell phone. "Aren't you so pumped for tonight? It's going to change your life. I promise."

"Oh, Sheska, we have to pick out something slamming for Win."

"Right, we need to get on that soon."

"Why am I always dressed and paraded around like some show dog?" Winry muttered as she glowered at the floor.

"Because you are trying to get a guy's attention!" Rebecca shouted, her voice echoing out of Sheska's phone a moment later. "And you've got to look slamming _twenty-four-seven _when you're trying to get a guys attention."

"Yeah, because it's worked so well before," Winry sighed while she thought back to all the work her friends wasted on her for the winter break dance.

"Well I doubt it could hurt to try," Sheska added; Winry heard her voice bounce out of Rebecca's phone a second later.

"Ooh, do I get to finally witness one of these magical dress-up moments I've been hearing about?" Paninya asked from the corner as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"Yup, and you get to help!"

"Awesome," Paninya said with a smile that shook slightly with contained laughter.

"Now," Rebecca said, finally hanging up her phone, "we need to fix this hot mess of a situation before Ed gets here."

"Can I at least eat first?" Winry grumbled as her stomach gave a small lurch of hunger.

"We'll see if we can fit it into the schedule," Rebecca said after a moment. "Now come on everyone, we need all hands on deck if we're gonna make a dent in that bed head."

Paninya stood up and walked over to Winry, where she simply smiled at the blond girl and said in a pleasant voice, "I like your friends."

"Shut up, Paninya," Winry snapped as she folded her arms over her chest and marched out of the room.

* * *

"So guess who's finally here," Roy said as he walked into his dorm room; Jean sat on his beanbag chair while he played some video game with Maes watched from his bed.

"I'm gonna take a shot in the dark here but… Ed and Al?" Maes said.

"Yup," Roy said as he pulled off his T-shirt and began digging through a pile of his clothes. "I just saw them walk into the building."

"'Bout damn time they showed up," Jean said, his voice slightly mumbled due to the unlit cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth. "I was beginning to think that they were going to be a no-show."

"Wouldn't surprise me if they were," Roy said as he sniffed at a slightly crumpled shirt before he tugged it on. "They never want to do anything."

"More like Ed doesn't want to do anything," Maes corrected. "Al tends to help us with the dragging of Edward when we need to. We never have to drag Al outside."

"True. Freaking bookworm shut-in of a teenager," Roy mumbled as he dragged a comb through his messy hair. "Well, he's not staying in today. We're making sure of that."

"You know, I feel a little worried about Ed," Maes sighed as he rolled over in his bed.

"Why? Because he's like, a grumpy ninety-year-old in a teen's body?"

"No, because of what the girls might do to him tonight."

"What do you mean?" Jean asked as he paused his game.

"Well, Gracia told me about how the girls are pissed off at Ed for being, well, 'completely oblivious to Winry's feelings', as they put it and I think they might bring a beat down on the kid."

"Ehh, well, he is really oblivious and it'd probably be funny to watch," Roy said with a shrug as he walked towards the door. "I'm gonna go check up on some finishing touches. Be back in a minute."

"Talk about oblivious people," Maes muttered to himself as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Huh?" Jean mumbled as he refocused on his video game.

"Nothing, nothing," the dark-haired-boy sighed before he glanced at the time on his cell phone. "Well, I should probably be getting ready."

"Ooh, gonna go get ready for your little girlfriend and your disgusting anniversary," Jean groaned as he slammed his fingers onto his controller.

"Yup," Maes said calmly before his face seemed to melt into a pool of sparkles and misty eyes. "It's already been two heavenly years with my wonderful Gracia!"

"Geez, why don't you two just go and get married already?" the blond asked, clearly irritated. "You're grossing all us single people out."

"You're all just jealous," Maes sniffed. "Once you're in our shoes, you'll never want to leave each other!"

"I definitely want to leave you right now…"

* * *

"So when did the guys say we're leaving for the Island?" Ed asked as he opened one of his suitcases and began tossing clothes into his wardrobe.

"I think in a few hours," Al said as he glanced at his wristwatch; it was now a little passed six o'clock at night. "We went up around ten or eleven last year, right?"

"How am I supposed to remember," Ed growled as he tossed a pair of dirty tennis shoes over his shoulder.

"Well, I'm gonna go and ask just to make sure," Al said as he rolled his eyes slightly at his brother's messy habits.

"See ya later then."

Al walked out of the now-messy dorm room and out into the hall. He heard several shrill voices coming from down the hall, where the girls rooms were and figured it might be safe to ask them when they were planning on leaving. He knocked on Riza and Rebecca's door, where most of the noise seemed to be coming from.

"Who's there?" Rebecca's commanding voice shouted.

"Uh, just me, um, Al," he stuttered.

"Oh, they're here," he could hear Sheska say through the door.

"Finally," Rebecca snorted. "Is your dumb brother with you?"

"No," Al said calmly as he glanced down the hall towards their dorm room. "I just wanted to know what time we were leaving for the island."

There was a pause and then Rebecca's head popped out of the door. She scowled slightly, which unnerved Al slightly, before she said, "We need a man's opinion. Get in here."

Without warning, Rebecca reached out and pulled Al into her dorm room with great force. Al stumbled for a moment before he gained his bearings and looked around the room.

Gracia and Riza sat off to the side, looking a little frazzled and possibly annoyed, Sheska stood near the center of the room, holding a hair dryer, a hair curler, and several different pieces of clothing in her hands, there was a girl Al didn't know, his dark hair and skin who looked a little amused as she sat on the bed, and Winry sat in the middle of the room in a chair, dressed and painted as Rebecca's favorite dress up doll.

"So, what do you think, Al?"

Al inspected Winry: she wore a tight blue top that made her eyes pop along with dark pants and some sturdy, but still feminine, black boots. Her face was painted lightly and her hair was curled ever so slightly. When Al didn't answer immediately, Winry spoke up, sounding annoyed.

"I told you it was too much," she hissed at Rebecca. "You call this_effortless?_This took us an_hour!_"

"Yes but the whole thing about effortless makeup is that you put it on so lightly that it just looks natural and effortless; there is nothing about how it is not actually effortless in this article," Rebecca snapped back as she tossed a girly magazine article in the air.

"Yeah, well, any makeup you add to me will be unnatural, seeing as the closet thing I get to daily makeup is Chap Stick! I look so ridiculous!"

"You look fine, Win," said the unknown girl. "It's not like you're the only one wearing make up. It's fine. Calm down."

"Pan's right!" Sheska spoke up. "You look great."

"And once we get Gracia in this chair," Rebecca said as she slapped Gracia hard on the shoulders, "and beautify her up for her man, well, you're going to look like a sack of garbage compared to her."

"Gee thanks," Winry sighed as she inspected her filed nails.

"Well at least with your makeup, you get to look like garbage," Riza said dryly. "But us normal people over here will probably end up looking like medical waste that's been hit with an atomic bomb."

"Uh, no you won't," Gracia said as she fiddled with a charm on her necklace. "Because I am_not_going to be forced into that chair."

"Why not?" Rebecca cried. "You let me beautify you for the dances! All dances in fact! And last year for New Years! And, as I recall, the year before that on a rather special New Years! What's up now?"

"Well it's just that, no offense to your make up skills, girls, because you guys rock," Gracia added quickly, clearly not wanting to offend anyone for even a second, "but the thing is," Gracia paused and as she turned her head down towards the floor, her face began to tinge pink, "I know Maes prefers me when I really am natural and don't have anything special on and I think it'd be a nice surprise if I showed up looking just like me."

"Oh come on," Rebecca huffed. "Boys just say that to make girls feel better when they don't feel like putting in the work."

"Rebecca!" Riza scoffed.

"I've seen that in lot's of articles," Sheska said quickly. "That guys like girls when they don't have make up all over their faces."

"Yeah and it's gonna be dark at the island so how will he really see if I'm wearing makeup or not?" Gracia asked as she twisted a short lock of hair around her finger.

"Well then how will he know if you do have make up on?" Rebecca countered.

"Oh, touché," the dark-haired girl said with a grin.

"Come on, let me at least do a little something with your hair and some really, really,_really_light makeup? At least?" Rebecca pleaded. "Just to enhance your natural beauty! And then I can pull out the works for Sheska, since her man doesn't feed her lines about not needing makeup."

"Oh, so are you and Kain, like, Facebook official now?" Winry asked with a slight squeal in her voice as she turned to look at Sheska.

"Well, no but… possibly," Sheska said quickly while her face turned to a bright red color.

"Maybe we'll get another girl in here with a New Years anniversary."

Al watched as the girls chatted about for a few more moments before he cleared his throat and regained the girls attention.

"Uh, so I think Winry looks fine, maybe a little too much makeup but, whatever," he said quickly, not wanting to be attacked by Rebecca for saying so. "And uh, when are we leaving again?"

"We ship off at quarter to eleven," Rebecca said stiffly before she turned to the girls with a slightly manic look in her face. "Which means we have less than five hours to get the rest of us ready!"

Al ducked out of the room as quickly as he could manage before he was sucked into another debacle over make up. Al walked back down the hall and after glancing into his room, which was now completely trashed, thanks to his brother; he knocked on Russell and Fletcher's room, thinking maybe he could relax there for a little before the party.

* * *

"Everyone's here, right?" Roy asked as he looked around at the group as they huddled underneath the bridge.

"Who would be missing?" Rebecca asked in annoyance.

"I'm just checking, Catalina," Roy snapped.

"And I'm just asking you why you're checking when we totally all walked down here together after making sure we were all here back in the dorm five minutes ago, Mustang," Rebecca snapped back.

"Whatever, let's just get there already."

Feeling the similar thrill she felt the first time she climbed into the raft, Winry looked out towards the dark island and smiled. She glanced at Paninya and laughed slightly when she saw a look of worry flash over her friend's face; she clearly did not trust the integrity of the blow up raft.

The teens had not been to the Island since the end of October and even though it was a little less than two months ago, it felt so much longer. It was even more astounding to Winry to think that only four months ago, she had not known any of these crazy and amazing people around her. Winry felt as if she had always been friends with these people when in reality, they hadn't even known each other for a semester of school. Friendships really were astounding.

"Shit!" Jean screamed as some icy spray hit him in the face; Winry could hear Rebecca cackling loudly behind her. "Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything!"

"Seriously guys, shut up or we might as well not go at all," Riza hissed as she glared at her friends.

"Sorry…"

"Guys, we need you to paddle more!" Winry could hear Roy yell from the other raft.

Winry smiled and turned to look at Paninya and laughed loudly when she saw how terrified her friend looked. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands so that she would not make any more unneeded sounds.

"What?" Paninya hissed, still looking scared.

"You'd be laughing if you saw your face," Winry teased.

"Well I'm kinda freaking out here!" Paninya hissed. "These rafts do not feel safe at all."

"They're fine," Winry assured her friend. "Trust me, you get used to them."

"I find that hard to believe."

Winry shook her head at her friend and focused her attention on the growing island. They were finally back one again. A minute later, people began jumping out of the rafts to help pull everyone else onto the main land and soon after that, they were there.

There were quiet cheers of happiness and before anyone knew it, they were all running and laughing, moving as quickly as they could through the forest path; no one, it seemed, could take waiting another second before the party started.

"Jean, hit the lights," Roy said as they broke into the clearing. "Maes, go get the music from the shed. And-"

"Well, well, well. Look who finally arrived."

The happy teens stopped in their tracks and turned towards the source of the voice but because of the darkness, it was impossible to see exactly who it was. Jean hit the lights and after a moment, from the other side of the clearing, two figures walked forwards from the forest's edge.

"We weren't sure if you'd ever get here."

"Ling," Ed growled as he stepped forwards. "What are you doing here?"

Ling did not answer immediately but continued to smile his wide smile. Lan Fan stepped forwards slightly, as if to compensate for Ed's closeness, which only caused Ed to grin through his snarl.

"Oh yeah, you're gonna need your little body guard when I get over there."

"What are you guys doing here?" Maes asked politely but sternly from behind Ed as Al and Russell reached out to grab Ed. "This is our island. You're not allowed here."

"Your island?" he asked pleasantly. "I don't see your name on it. And I believe there is a Western saying along the lines of 'Finders keepers, losers weepers'. Perhaps _you _are the ones who should be getting off of _my _island."

* * *

**Return of the Asians! I couldn't just leave them out of the story, now could I?**

**So, hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soonish and then you can start getting into the real party action!  
**

**Thanks for reading, please leave me a review.  
**

**-FSK  
**


	34. Small Hiccup

**Hey everyone, thanks for reading and reviewing last chapter! I appreciate it. :D**

**So I just spent the last two days in the constant company of my family and I think if I had to spend one more hour smashed with them inside of the car, I might have jumped out of the moving car and out onto the highway.  
**

**On a different note, I have exactly 10 days left before my last summer as a high school student ends and I am currently freaking the fuck out, for a couple of different reasons.  
**

**But, thank you to my wonderful editor, Dani, for her speedy update and I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.  
**

* * *

"Ling!" came another shout from another point in the forest, although this voice was much higher and feminine.

Everyone turned, still slightly stunned, and saw a small form bursting from the dark foliage.

"Mei?" Al asked as he stared at the small girl, clearly confused. "What… what are you doing here?"

The younger girl glanced at Al quickly but turned away just as her face flashed a dangerous red color. She refocused her attention on the other two intruders.

"You two!" Mei huffed while she pointed an accusatory finger at the duo. "It was my plan to sneak over here! She told you of the idea, didn't she! That little sneak of yours, listening to all my ideas!"

"Like I would ever waste a single second of my life on you mindless dribble," Lan Fan snarled as she took a step so that she would be in-between Ling and Mei. "And I doubt you could ever come up with such a clever plan. I'm sure it was you who stole it from me!"

"Cat fight," Jean whispered, which caused a series of eye rolls to erupt in the crowd of teens.

"False!" Mei cried; Al was quite stunned to hear such a loud voice come out of the usually silent girl. "I've been planning on getting here since the beginning of the school year when I heard them talking about it in Crafts!"

"Well I overheard them talking about it in _multiple _classes," Lan Fan countered. "But it doesn't matter because we got here first!"

"And where's the proof of that?" Mei asked as she began to stomp forwards. "Because I've been here since sundown and I haven't heard a peep from you two!"

"Let's not squabble over who got here first like children," Lan Fan said in a quiet but deadly voice as she too stepped forwards. "Let's settle this like adults."

"Hmm, perhaps for once, I agree with you," Mei said with a twisted grin on her face.

"Uh," Al stuttered, knowing that something was about to happen any moment now.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Winry asked as she thought back to how at the beginning of the year, Lan Fan had attacked Ed with a knife and then kidnapped him for shits and giggles.

"Uh, no way," Jean said as he pulled out his phone. "This shit is going on YouTube."

"You can get in serious trouble for recording a fight," Riza snapped before she smacked Jean's phone out of his hand and onto the ground. "Idiot."

"Hey! I just got that phone!"

"Guys!"

Everyone turned and watched as Lan Fan and Mei ran at each other, both holding similar small dagger-like knives. Some people froze in the tracks, not sure of what to do next, other screamed involuntarily. Ed and Al, however, ran forwards without a moment's thought and managed to get in between the two girls before any damage could be done. However, just because the two people got in the way, did not mean that the two girls would just give up.

"Stop it! You fucking crazy bitches!" Ed screamed as he dodge a knife that came dangerously close to his face. "What the hell is wrong with you two?!"

"Uh, can we get a hand over here?!" Al yelled as he attempted to shove Lan Fan away from Mei, which resulted in him getting punched in the face.

"Lan Fan!" Ling called out from behind them; he had not moved an inch during the entire fight.

Lan Fan froze in her tracks at Ling's voice but Al still kept a firm grip on her wrist so that she could not stab anyone. Mei, however, did not stop and with the help of Roy, he and Ed carried Mei off to the side.

"If you're going to spill her blood, I think it best if you don't do it in front of all these witnesses," Ling said calmly.

"She won't be_spilling her blood_at all!" Al roared in outrage. "What the hell is the matter with you guys?! You attack my brother, kidnap him, and now you're going to cut each other up just because you both want to be here!"

Everyone stood quite still and silent. Alphonse rarely raised his voice and he was all out screaming at this point; his voice rang outwards into the empty forest.

"Why can't you just be here, together, and not attack each other?! Now I don't really know you guys but you all seem to overreact worse than anybody I've ever known, and that is saying something, seeing as who my brother is!"

Edward scowled slightly and a few people giggled lightly but still no one said anything.

"But seriously, you can stay if you're going to behave, you can leave, I don't care what you do as long as you don't end up killing each other," Al said, his voice returning to its usual calm level. "But me and my friends here came to relax and have some fun and you're not going to get in the way of that. Alright?"

"Well then let's get the party started!" Jean shouted after a moment of slightly awkward silence had passed over them all. "The more the merrier, right?"

"So are you guys staying or leaving?" Al asked Ling and Lan Fan.

"Well, why pass up a chance to observe an American teenage party," Ling said after a moment. Al watched as his eyes flitted over towards the table where people were beginning to lay out foods. "I'll just be helping myself, right? Let's go, Lan Fan."

Al watched the two walk away for a moment before he turned and focused on Mei, whose arms were still restrained by Ed and Roy.

"Are you staying?" he asked pleasantly.

Mei stared at the ground and did not answer. If it was weird to see the quiet girl suddenly explode into an episode of homicidal rage, it was even weirder to see her snap back to her quiet persona within a second. Al motioned for the two teens to let go of her and he took a few steps closer to the girl.

"Well, you might as well stay. Have some fun and relax and then you can hitch a ride back with us when we're done," Al said with a shrug. "Alright?"

Mei made an odd movement that seemed to be the combination of a nod and a shrug before she turned on her heel and stalked off towards a cooler, one that was far away from Ling and Lan Fan, who were currently stuffing their faces with everything they could fit in their mouths.

"The more the merrier, right?" Al muttered to himself before he sighed, shoved his hands in his pockets and moved off to talk to his own friends.

* * *

"You know, except for that small hiccup, this party is banging!" Rebecca declared as she sipped at her drink.

"You call that _duel to the death _a small hiccup?" Paninya asked. "What the hell would you call a catastrophe?"

"Now, it would have been a catastrophe if the fight had actually stopped the party," Riza answered quickly with a knowing smile on her face.

"Uh, within reason," Rebecca said. "I mean, this is the banging-est party we throw all year and don't you think it would have been horrible if it had to come to sudden and party-less end?"

"You do have a point there," Riza said with a shrug after a moment.

"Hey, where's Gracia?" Paninya asked after a moment. "She was here a minute ago."

"She's probably off being all coupley with her _Maesy-wasey_," Rebecca said in a slightly disgusted voice.

"It is there anniversary after all," Winry said wisely. "Two years of being together is something."

"Yeah but they can be together, like, _later_," Rebecca pouted with a small stomp of her foot. "New Years is a time for us to _all _to be together. Not off making out with your significant other."

"You're just jealous because you don't have anyone to kiss at midnight," Roy said as he walked over to the group with a grin; Jean trailed behind him.

"Oh shut up, Mustang! It's not like you have anyone to kiss either!" Rebecca yelled; Winry winced, seeing as Rebecca had screamed at Roy through her. "But I guess I should be thankful that you didn't decide to bring one of your _skanks _along for the ride. We really don't need to witness you as you try and _dry-hump _the non-existent brains out of some random drunk girl."

"_Rebecca,_" Riza hissed, clearly trying to get the situation under control.

"_Oh_, your words hurt me so badly, Catalina," Roy said with a twinkle in his eyes as he pretended to wince. "But I guess I should also be grateful that you didn't pay some _idiot jock _to come here with you. We don't need to witness you forcing not only your _tongue_, but_ several _cases of beers down some guys throat. Not to mention the _bawling __mess _you'll become when that _stand-up_ young gentleman doesn't talk to you ever again after almost hitting a home run with you."

"Roy!" Riza admonished, looking slightly surprised with her close friend's word choice.

"Well at least I wouldn't give it up as easily as your little girlfriends who spread like melted butter on toast," Rebecca snapped back as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Small victory," Roy said with a roll of his eyes.

"So you admit that all your girls are slutty!" she cried triumphantly.

"I never said they _weren't _slutty," Roy said with a loud laugh.

This made Rebecca scowl and glare at Roy, who only continued to grin down at Rebecca, for he had clearly won this verbal battle.

"What do you want, Mustang?" Rebecca asked very slowly with each word containing feelings of intense hate.

"Wasn't it you who said just seconds ago that New Years was a time for us to be together?" Roy asked with a smile.

"You are not included in us," Rebecca said before she latched tightly onto Winry and Paninya's arms. "Come on, we've got more important things to do than loose brain cells with these idiots."

Roy chuckled and shook his head while he watched Rebecca walk away in a huff as she pulled the two girls along with all her might. Jean let out a long low whistle before he downed the rest of his drink.

"What the hell was that about?" Riza asked Roy angrily as she punched him hard on his bicep.

"_Ow,_what?" Roy asked while he rubbed the spot where Riza punched him; Roy would not admit it, but Riza could punch harder than some guys he knew.

"Why do you have to antagonize her?"

"Because it's what we do!" Roy said with an air of stating the obvious. "And besides, she's the one who brought up the talk about _skanks _and _dry-humping_, which is _not _what I do, by the way," he added quickly.

"I don't need to know what you do and don't do," Riza added just as quickly, her face a calm mask.

"Well was I supposed to take that talk lying down? No. She escalated it, so you should go yell and hit_her,"_Roy said before he reached out and rubbed the sore spot on his arm again. "And can you not hit so hard?"

"What? Can't take it?" Riza asked with a slight smirk.

"Oh I can take whatever you throw at me," Roy said as he crossed his arms across his chest and smirked down on Riza.

The two grinned at each other for a moment, silently daring the other one to back down. Finally, the stalemate ended when Jean said, "Well this is kinda weird. I'm going to go get another drink. Have fun staring into each other eyes."

"You need to stop antagonizing her," Riza said in a much calmer voice after Jean had walked away.

"Do you tell _her _to stop antagonizing _me_?" Roy asked in an annoyed voice.

"I do, but I think this responsibility falls on _your _shoulders."

"And why is that?" Roy asked indignantly.

Riza fixed him with a hard stare that lasted almost a full minute before she sighed and said in a much softer voice.

"You know why."

"Because I'm smarter than her and should know better?" he asked with a small grin; Riza pursed her lips in response to this.

"Because you're more _mature,_when you want to be, that is," Riza amended. "And you should know better than to rise to her bait."

"Alright, alright," Roy sighed before he let his arms fall to his sides. "Do you want me to go apologize?"

"No," Riza sighed. "Your appearance would probably spawn another fight."

"Well good because I wasn't going to apologize to her anyhow."

"You would if I really asked you to," Riza said with a smile. "Now go and behave."

Roy nodded and Riza patted him on the arm, right on top of where she had punched him, before she smiled and turned around to go sit by Rebecca and the other girls. Roy watched Riza for a moment as she tried to calm down an angry Rebecca; he could not help but smile as Rebecca fumed and Riza tried her best to put out the firecracker.

"You know, creeping on Facebook is one thing, but creeping in real life is, well, creepy," Jean said eloquently from behind Roy.

"I wasn't creeping," Roy said with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, and I'm not drunk," Jean said with a snort.

"Are you?" Roy asked incredulously as he looked his friend over for any signs of drunkenness.

"…no, not really," Jean said after a slight pause. "But the point is, you were creeping and I caught you in the act."

"So?" Roy asked.

"Catching someone creep is like, like catching someone masturbate!" Jean declared quiet loudly; thankfully the music was loud enough to block out the teen.

"What the hell does that mean?!" Roy shouted with a twisted look on his face. "And who have you caught jerking off?"

"That's not the point," Jean said quickly. "But what I was saying is that it's like catching someone masturbate. It's embarrassing for both parties and neither people will ever forget it."

"Well yeah, I'm definitely not gonna forget it_now_that you've brought_masturbating_into this," Roy said seriously. "But really who'd you catch-"

"I am going to get another drink!" Jean yelled loudly over Roy's question before he ran off towards the open coolers.

"Oh no you don't, Havoc," Roy said with a grin before he ran after him. "You're not getting off that easy!"

* * *

"So, what did I miss?" Sheska asked as she walked over to her group of friend, pulling along Kain Fuery by the hand.

"Oh nothing major," Rebecca said. "Just Mustang being a major ass."

"Sounds… fun," Kain said uneasily as he stared around the group of girls.

"Yeah, and speaking of assholes…" Rebecca said slowly as she glanced over at where the blond boys sat, drinking and talking. Rebecca broke off and turned to Kain with a grin on her face, which only seemed to spook the nerdy teenager. "Kain, you look like you need a drink."

"Oh I, um, don't really, uh, drink," he stuttered.

"Winry will show you were the drinks are," Rebecca said as she shoved Winry forwards.

"Hey!" Winry yelled in surprise.

"Go, Winry, show Kain where the drinks are!"

"I already showed Kain where the drinks are," Sheska grumbled, clearly annoyed.

Rebecca reached out and pinched Sheska's arm before she fixed Sheska with a some-what obvious glare.

"Uh, yeah, come on, Kain," Winry said awkwardly. "I'll go show you."

"Uh," Kain muttered before he glanced at Sheska, who nodded, and followed after Winry to the other side of the party.

"Now what was all that about?!" Sheska squeaked. "First off, why the hell did you pinch me so hard! And secondly, why are you throwing Winry at _my _man?!"

"Because we need to get Winry away so we can put our plan into action, idiot," Rebecca said.

"Oh, no, you're not really doing this, are you?" Riza asked with a slight groan in her voice.

"Yes, and I would prefer if Gracia would break apart from her boyfriend for five minutes to help us but… oh well, we'll just have to make due."

"Or we could just not do this at all."

"No, it has to be done," Rebecca said sternly. "These men have to know they cannot just walk all over us and not get what's coming to them."

"But Ed doesn't even know he's done anything," Riza said quickly.

"More reason to set this right. Come on, Riza. This is for the women. Aren't you on our side?"

"I'm on no one's side," Riza said.

"… You're on our side, girl. Now let's get down to business."

"So what did we miss?"

Winry looked up from her seat and saw Gracia and Maes standing in front of her. She could not help but note how their hair and clothes seemed to be in a messier state than they were before but she decided not to mention it.

"Uh, nothing much," Winry answered. "Roy and Rebecca got into some little spat that was pretty entertaining and now everyone's acting, well, good. For once."

"Good?" Maes asked.

"Yeah, it's really suspicious."

"It's probably nothing," Gracia said quickly, earning an odd look from Winry and a skeptical one from her boyfriend.

"Well, I'm gonna go check on the guys," Maes said slowly while he gave his girlfriend a suspicious look.

"Have fun," she said sweetly.

"Alright…" he said slowly before he bent down to kiss her.

"So, how was your little date?" Winry asked with suggestive wink.

"Oh it was… nice," Gracia said in a dignified tone while her checks slowly turned pink. "But New Years is a time to spend with all loved ones, not just one loved one."

"Uh huh," Winry said with a smirk. "Are you crashing at East tonight?"

"Uh, of course," Gracia said as she sat down next to Winry. "No way in hell am I crawling back to Central, exhausted and smelling like a bar."

"Just asking."

"But I'll stay in Riza and Bec's room, seeing as you already have a guest," Gracia said.

"Oh, you're not going to stay with Maesy?" Winry teased.

"Maybe if there was a private place where we could stay," she said calmly while her face only got redder. "But no way am I staying in that smelling sweat box of a room while I hear those two juveniles sniggering and whispering 'Get it in' all night."

"I can see where that could be a little off putting," Winry said.

"Off putting is an understatement. I think it would be easier to have my parents sleeping in the same room as us."

"And that is saying something," Winry said, thinking back to what Gracia said about her father's views on Maes.

"Oh hells yeah."

"Oh Winry!"

Winry and Gracia looked up to see Paninya and Rebecca running up to them with looks of glee on there faces.

"Uh hey guys, what's up?"

"Come with us for a second," Rebecca said as she reached out and latched onto Winry's wrist.

"Where are we going?" Winry asked as Rebecca pulled her up from her seat. She turned to look at Paninya, hoping for an answer but only received a small smile. "Guys?"

"We are going to have some fun," Rebecca said finally after pulling Winry along for a moment.

"How?"

"We're gonna play hide and seek," Paninya answered.

"Alright," Winry said slowly, not quite buying it.

"Yeah and we found the best hiding spot for you," Rebecca continued.

"Uh-huh?"

"Yup, and it's right in here!"

* * *

"Ed, can you come over here for a sec?"

Edward looked up from where he sat on the old couch with his brother and two best friends to see Riza and Sheska. Riza looked calm, if not a little annoyed, and Sheska wore a smile that was too large to not be suspicious.

"Uh, why?" Ed asked. He was not in the mood for any of their crazy shenanigans, but then again, he never really was.

"There's a problem with the speakers," Riza said, her face still looking as if she had a lemon in her mouth.

"Really?" Ed asked skeptically as he paused to listen to the music. "It sounds fine to me."

"Well like, the volume is broken or something," Riza said quickly. "You can't change the volume."

"And why do I have to help?" Ed asked. "It's music usually in Maes's domain?"

"Yeah well he just got back and he doesn't want to do it right now and we feel like the music is too loud. Someone might hear it on campus."

"It's not my fault he chose to make out with Gracia all night instead of attending to the crappy speakers."

"Edward," Riza said in a stern voice. "Just help up, please? It'll take like, two minutes."

"Just go on, Ed," Russell said after a pause. "You probably could have been done already if you hadn't whined so much."

"Shut up, Russ," Ed said before he pushed himself up from his seat. "Alright, alight, show me the damn speakers."

* * *

"What the hell?!" Winry shouted as Rebecca gave her a firm push and she fell into the dark shed. Winry managed to right herself before she hit the ground but as she turned to yell at her friends, she saw nothing but the inside of the shed doors. "Rebecca!"

"You're not doing a great job at hiding, Win!" Rebecca yelled from the other side of the shed door. "You'll be found within a minute."

"Bec! Let me out!" Winry screamed as she pounded against the door. "Seriously, if you don't let me out, I won't be your friend anymore! I'm not kidding!"

"Calm down, Win," Rebecca said. "I promise to let you out soon. You just have to promise me to be quiet for a sec, alright?"

Winry frowned and crossed her arms across her chest. Why were her friends doing this to her? Was this some sort of hazing ritual she had to go through? She was the new kid in the group and this was her first New Years. Maybe. Or maybe it was something completely different. But she knew that no matter what, her friends would not do anything to hurt or harm her in any way, so this was probably not that bad, whatever it was.

…right?

* * *

"Rebecca, move it," Ed said as he and Riza arrived at the shed. "We need to get in there."

"I'm not moving," Rebecca said from her spot in front of the shed doors. "I'm comfy, thanks."

"Just slide over a little, you lazy drunk," Ed snapped, noting the red plastic party cup in hand.

"Nope. Not movin'."

"Come on, let's just go through the back," Riza said as she gripped onto Ed's arm before he snapped.

"Fine."

Riza led him around to the back of the shed where there was another, smaller door that was held shut with a small padlock. Riza bent down, picked up a small, grey rock, and turned it over to reveal a secret notch with a key in it. After replacing the key to its hiding spot, Riza turned to face Ed.

"So…"

"Uh, so what?" Ed asked. "Aren't we fixing speakers?"

"Well… not, not exactly," Riza said slowly as she placed her hand on the door handle.

"What do you mean?"

"Ed, did anyone ask you to go to the Winter dance with them?" Riza asked suddenly; she knew this was not exactly part of the plan but she knew if no one steered him in the right direction, he would never get there at all.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Yes or no, Edward."

"Uh, no," Ed said slowly, looking annoyed and confused. "Why are you asking?"

"What if someone did ask you? What would you say?"

"Depends on the girl," he answered after a slight pause with a slightly embarrassed smile on his face.

"Well what if someone_tried_to ask you but you gave them an unclear answer?"

"I don't get your point."

"Do you think someone might have_possibly_tried to ask you to the dance?"

"No," he said again, slowly, still obviously confused.

Edward watched as Riza pursed her lips, rolled her eyes, and then let out a sigh. She stared down at the ground for a few seconds and just as Ed was going to ask her what she was getting at, Riza looked up at him with a serious expression on her face and spoke.

"Ed, Winry tried to ask you to the dance," she said firmly. "That whole thing with the pie? Yeah. That was her trying to ask you."

"Wait, what?"

"Now go talk to her," Riza said as she forced the door open with a good, hard pull.

"Huh?" he asked as Riza placed a hand on his back.

"Because she was pretty cut up when you didn't even show up to the dance at all."

Without warning, Riza opened the door wider, and shoved Ed inside with all of her might. Ed, taken off guard by this odd conversation, stumbled in and before he knew what was going on, the door shut in front of his face.

"Hey! What the hell?!"

"Ed?"

Ed turned around to find Winry standing a foot away from him, looking just as confused as he felt.

"Uh, do you know why we're in here?" she asked in a rather calm voice.

_Winry tried to ask you to the dance…_

"Because I have no clue."

"…_she was pretty cut up when you didn't even show up to the dance at all…"_

"Rebecca just forced me in here a minute ago and I've been waiting for her to let me out."

"_Now go talk to her."_

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER! MUA-AH-AHH!**

******Can I just say I really love this chapter? My favorite part was probably Roy and Rebecca's fight; pretty entertaining to write.  
**

******But I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can so you guys won't suffer too much.  
**

******Gonna go try and enjoy the end of my summer. *tears*  
**

******-FSK  
**


	35. Fifteen Minutes to Midnight

**Hey readers!**

**Oh god... my summer is over. OVER. DONE. KAPUT. Where has my summer gone? But not only is my summer gone, this was my last summer as a freaking high schooler! That means that I am almost an adult and I am freaking the fuck out! On the bright side, my number one pick for college keeps sending me things so hopefully I'll get accepted there. *cross my fingers*  
**

**But anywho, it's time to see what happens with Ed and Winry. Thanks for everyone who reviewed and thank you so much to my beta for getting this chapter to me so quickly.  
**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Edward opened his mouth, maybe to bring up what Riza had just told her, but instead of words, only an odd gurgling noise came out of his mouth. He shut his mouth quickly before anything worse came out of his mouth.

"Uh, Ed, do you know why we're in here?" Winry asked as she took a step forwards.

"Nope," Ed managed to say. "Not a clue."

"Great," she grumbled. "It's so freaking dark in here. I can't see a thing."

Winry then pulled out her cell phone from her pocket and blinded the both of them temporarily with the bright white light of the screen.

"Sorry."

"It's alright," he muttered as he rubbed his eyes.

If it were not for all of the noise going on outside of the dark and dank shed, there would have been a rather dense and awkward silence filling the area now. Edward turned and glared at the door Riza had just shoved him through.

Had she been serious? Had Winry tried to ask him out? Ed thought back to the day in the library when Winry bumped into him and offered him the pie. She had seemed rather skittish, but he really did not know her all that well so he could not have realize that she was acting differently. He just assumed that she was more on the shier side. But if she really had being trying to ask him out…

_I am such an idiot_, Ed sighed as he felt his head droop. _She _was _asking me out… buttering me up with the pie, and I just totally ignored her…_

_But Al just texted me that he might have found something important_, Ed told himself. _You had a good reason to blow her off._

_But that information ended up to be nothing… so what would have happened if I actually listened to her?_

"Ed?"

"Huh?" Ed picked up his head, blinked his eyes, and saw Winry standing about a foot away, looking a little worried; her pale face was illuminated by the light of her cell phone.

"I just asked if you were alright," she said quietly while smiling a little nervously. "You looked like you were…_upset _or something."

"I'm… I'm alright. I guess."

"Oh. That's good."

Ed watched as Winry fiddled around with her phone for a moment; clearly being confined to such a small space with him was making her uncomfortable. He had a feeling that people were listening in on their conversation and they would not be let out until they… what? What were they supposed to do?

_Do they want me to apologize or… do they want me to do something else? _Ed thought as he glanced at his own phone and saw that it was fifteen minutes until midnight. Maybe their friends were going to wait until midnight, possibly coercing the two of them to kiss at midnight. He felt his face heat up a little at an idea like that but shook his head quickly in hopes of getting the image out of his head. _I wouldn't put it passed someone crazy like Rebecca to think of a plan like that but… I don't see Riza willingly involving herself in something like that._

It was Riza's practicality and her tendency towards normalcy that led Ed to believe that this situation had to be leaning towards his first idea. If it had been someone like Rebecca or Sheska throwing him in the shed, Ed might have thought more towards his second idea.

_So, just go out and apologize and you'll be out of here,_he told himself. ._Just apologize…_

_But what if Winry's in on the plan? What if there's some great ulterior motive? What if the girls have banded together to form some great plot? _Ed thought wildly.

_No_, he told himself. _Remember? Riza equals sanity. The other girls equal crazy. And come on! Riza told you to apologize to her! Quit acting like such an idiot._

"So, Winry… uh, there's something I think I have to tell you…"

* * *

"I wonder where Ed ran off to," Russell said as he looked around the area.

"He probably went to go hide in peace for a moment," Al said with a small laugh and a shake of his head.

"Didn't your mom tell him to act like a teenager or something?" Russell asked Al.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Even though it's silly, Ed needs to get out and relax every now and again. Mom just wants him to be happy and not waste this time living in libraries."

"How is your mom, Al?" Fletcher asked quietly.

Al glanced around at the group of teenagers around him. Jean, Roy, and Maes were standing around the coolers, laughing and joking and drinking. Sheska, Gracia, Paninya, and Rebecca were standing near the front of the shed and apparently dying of laughter from some story Paninya was telling. He saw Ling and Lan Fan sitting on the edges of the clearing, observing them all. Lastly, he saw Mei, sitting by some trees and staring up at the night sky, seemingly at peace. No one was very close to them and no one would overhear them if he vented for a while.

"She seemed alright when we left but ever since she last collapsed over Thanksgiving, I really don't feel comfortable being gone so long," Al admitted. "Dad's supposed to be back soon but she's still alone and even though I yell at Ed for freaking out when dad's gone and no one's there to watch over her, I know what he's thinking. And if Ed wasn't freaking out, I probably would be but my mom can only handle so many people worrying over her. I know she hates it when we constantly worry about her…"

"It's unavoidable," Russell said heavily. "It'd be wrong not to worry."

"I want to make her happy, but I also want her to know that I feel these things. It's one of the reasons I don't like being here at the school. I don't like being away from her when I know something like what happened over the holidays could happen again but there might not be anyone there to help her."

"If she wanted you there, she would tell you, right?" Fletcher said calmly, which caused Al to smile a bitter smile.

"I don't know if she would tell us to come home if she were on her death bed," he said quietly. "She wants us to have fun and not worry about her. I think she likes this school so much because it means we aren't going to be in her face worrying twenty-four-seven."

"Well… what are you gonna do?" Russell asked heavily as he downed the rest of his drink.

"What am I going to do?" Al asked slowly before a normal smile came to his face. "I'm going to find a cure for her and make her healthy again and then we can all be happy together."

"I hope you can, bud," Russell said as he clinked his empty cup against Al's soda can. "We all hope you will."

"I know."

Their conversation quickly changed to a lighter topic but unknown to them, there was someone lurking behind them, out of sight, who had just heard everything they had said.

* * *

"Yeah, Ed?" Winry asked while she tried to keep her voice calm.

Ed's newest declaration had sent her heart rate through the roof and her head began to spin with all of the possibility that could follow after someone says: 'there's something I need to tell you'. Her mind instantly thought of all the different possibilities from all ends of the spectrum.

_I love you._

_I hate you._

_I'm gay._

_You're my dream girl._

_My mom says I'm not old enough to date yet._

_You're creeping me out._

_I think you're nice but I'm not looking for a girlfriend._

_You're just not my type. I don't date blond girls._

_I just want to be friends._

_You have a huge booger hanging out of your left nostril and everyone's been secretly laughing at you behind your back this whole party._

"So, uh, I guess I wanted to apologize to you," he said slowly.

"For what?" she asked, her head still spinning with all of the possibilities.

"For, well, standing you up at the dance," Ed said after an alarmingly long pause. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that to you."

Winry blinked. Had he really just said that? Was Ed really apologizing for not showing up to the dance? Well, it was definitely better than some of the alternatives her haywire brain had created.

After the realization that Ed was most likely not going to come out of the closet to her or tell her that he hated her guts, Winry began to think of how best to respond to this. She could reveal that she had been truly hurt by him not showing up to the dance for even five minutes, not to mention how he confused her with his unclear answer. Winry could do that… or she could act like it had not been a big deal to begin with.

"Oh!" Winry exclaimed. "It… it was nothing. Really. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" Ed asked, his brow crinkled in what she assumed was concern.

"Yeah. It was fine," she said quickly.

"Alright… I just thought I heard someone say you were, I don't know…_disappointed _that I didn't stop by," Ed muttered as he looked down at his feet.

"Well, I mean, yeah I was kinda… disappointed," Winry admitted quietly before she forced herself to perk up so he would not see how upset she really was. "But I mean, I was upset if any of my friends weren't there! I mean… yeah, you should have come by. It was a good time."

Winry watched Ed think these words over while she mentally slapped herself repeatedly. Why, oh, why had she said that? Now Ed really wouldn't think that she liked him! Why was she acting so blasé? She should have at least acted a little hurt; then she might be able to guilt him into actually going out or something! But no, she had to take the _high _road.

"Oh."

"But I was actually, kinda _really _disappointed that you didn't show up, seeing as I thought we might, like, hang out at the dance," Winry amended, hoping he would somehow understand her ramblings.

"Yeah, well, I kinda got caught up with some… stuff," Ed finished lamely. "Family stuff."

"Oh," Winry said. She quickly formed her face into a look of concern while she tried to figure out if 'Family stuff' was just a bad excuse. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Ed answered. "It wasn't anything that big… but I mean, I thought it was at the time, or else I would have gone to the dance."

"I got it," she said with a small smile.

"Good."

* * *

"You know what?" Rebecca asked drunkenly as she stared into the bottom of her plastic cup.

"What?"

Rebecca turned and looked at the person sitting next to her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized how she would never be talking so calmly to his person under normal circumstances but alcohol definitely helped people to temporarily burry the hatchet.

"What, drunky?" Jean asked in annoyance as he lit up a cigarette and placed it in-between his lips.

"Shut up, nicotine sucker," Rebecca shot back before she broke into a series of loud, drunken giggles.

"What?" Jean asked as he started laughing out of control as well.

"Nothing, nothing," she giggled as she whipped her eyes. "I just said sucker and it made me think of something-" Rebecca broke off once again due to another giggle attack.

"Oh my god, you're cut off," Jean snorted as he took the bottle that sat in between them and moved it to his other side so that Rebecca could not get to it as easily.

"You're not the boss of me!"

The two had been sitting in front of the shed for a good ten minutes now. Jean had originally come over to take back a bottle of booze Rebecca had swiped for herself but somehow ended up sharing it with her. Now they were down to the bottom of the bottle and their inebriation levels were rather high, which allowed them to act somewhat civil for once.

"But back to what I was sayin' before," Rebecca slurred. "I wish that it was always New Years. You know why?"

"Why?" Jean asked as he took a swig of his beer.

"Because if it were New Years all da time, we could just do this. All da time!" Rebecca drunkenly yelled as she motioned around to their friends, who appeared to be having a good time. "We could just have fun and not worry about school an' shit. Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"That would be awesome," Jean agreed before her turned and smiled drunkenly at her.

"What are ya lookin' at?" Rebecca asked as she reached around Jean to take back the bottle. She took a long drink and belched loudly but Jean did not break his stare. "You're creepin me out, dude!"

"You know what?" he drawled as he kicked an empty beer can.

"What?"

"I wish we were _drunk _all da time," he said simply, which caused Rebecca to snort and laugh loudly.

"It's fun, right?" Rebecca giggled.

"Yeah but also, I wish we could be drunk all da time 'cus, like, we get along when we're both drunk. Ya know?" Jean said slowly before he took back the bottle from Rebecca.

"I _do _know!" she exclaimed. "Cus like, I actually _don't _hate you right now, which is a _weird _feelin' for me but I kinda like it!"

"Dude, you're like reading my brain right now."

"It's pretty weird!"

The two laughed for a while before the both suddenly stopped and stared at each other. Rebecca felt an odd twisting sensation in the pit of her stomach but she just blamed it on the excessive amount of alcohol she had consumed so quickly. Jean smiled at her and she turned away, giggling for reasons she could not understand.

* * *

"Those two are freaking me out," Roy said as he stared across the clearing at the two drunk teenagers, who usually were screaming at each other instead of giggling.

"I know. It's so trippy to see them getting along," Maes said with a shake of his head. "I see them together, but it just doesn't work out in my brain."

"I say we keep them drunk," Gracia spoke up. "They're both happy and not at each other's throats for once."

"As long as I don't have to clean up any puke, I'm fine with this arrangement," Paninya said while she observed the scene over the rim on her cup.

"Speaking of puke, how was your little anniversary?" Roy asked as he glanced at Maes and Gracia.

"Why do you associate such a wonderful and magnificent occasion with something as vile as puke?!" Maes yelled in outrage.

"Because you two make me sick whenever you're all gooey on each other," Roy said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I think the association makes plenty sense."

"Just because you can't appreciate something as beautiful and pure as our love doesn't mean you have to go around, defiling it with disgusting-"

"Alright, alright!" Roy cried as he threw his hands up in the air. "Never mind. You see, this is why I tend to not ask you about your love life. You get all freaking defensive and over-dramatic about it."

"We had a lovely anniversary, Roy," Gracia said calmly just as Maes opened his mouth again to most likely explode on Roy. "Thank you for asking."

"Eh, whatever," he mumbled into his beer bottle.

"But technically, our anniversary isn't until midnight on January first," Gracia said as she wrapped her arms around Maes. "Because that was our first kiss."

"You know, drinking isn't exactly helping me not throw up," Roy growled. "So I suggest you stop before I puke all over you two."

Maes scowled at his best friend but the expression was quickly replaced by a look of delight as he saw one of his friends walking towards them.

"Riza!" he exclaimed with a smile. "We were wondering where you scampered off too."

"Oh, I've been around," she muttered as she stopped next to the ground with an odd expression on her face; she looked confused and a little shocked.

"Are you alright?" Roy asked as he looked his friend over.

"I'm fine," Riza said in her usual authoritative voice while the odd expression quickly exasperated from her face. "I'm just a little tired is all."

"Uh huh," Roy muttered, still sounding skeptical, which earned a glared from Riza.

"So, are Win and Ed still in there?" Paninya asked as she glanced over at the shed.

"They seem to be."

"Wonder if Ed's actually getting the point of this exercise," Maes sighed as he stared at the shed.

"Well I kinda pushed him in the right direction before I put him in there," Riza admitted as she thought back to how the blond teen reacted. She could only hope that Ed wasn't dumber than he appeared and was actually apologizing to Winry. "So I really hope that he understands."

"Maybe they're doing something else in there," Paninya said with a suggestive wink.

"I doubt it," Roy said with a laugh. "The little squirt wouldn't have it in him."

"You never know."

* * *

"So, uh, you think we can get out of here now?" Ed asked as he glanced at the door leading out of the old, musty barn.

"We can try," Winry said quietly. "But we might be locked in here still so…"

Winry glanced at the time on her cell phone and saw that it was now only five minutes to midnight. In the back of her mind, where all of her crazy fantasies seemed to play out, she thought about being trapped in here until midnight and then Ed would kiss her at midnight. She pushed that dream away as quickly as she could, for she knew that that would never happen.

Edward walked towards the back and pulled on the handle but it did not budge. He then walked to the other side of the shed and pulled on that door handle but nothing different happened. He sighed and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

"Well… I could probably just bust a hole through one of these shitty walls," Ed muttered as he looked around.

"How about we yell for help first," Winry suggested.

"I doubt they can hear us over all this racket," he grumbled. "Not to mention they're all probably too drunk to know what to do."

"Well if no one comes to help, you can break us out," Winry said with a small laugh.

"Sounds like a plan," he said with a small smile that made Winry's stomach do a belly flop. "How about on three we yell."

"Alright."

"One… two… three…"

"Okay, you two have had way too much to drink already," Riza said as she bounded over to the two intoxicated teens. "I'm cutting you guys off."

"Ooh, big bad Riza's comin' to stop da party!" Jean yelled through a drunken cackle.

"Yeah, she is, now get up and behave before I dunk you into the river," she growled as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why can't you just have some fun?" Rebecca asked as she swayed slightly. "You're always so uptight. Ya gotta let loose, girl!"

"I'm always uptight because I always have to watch over people like you two," Riza responded in a cool voice. "Now get up before I make you get up!"

"Now listen here, nothin' in gonna make me get up," Jean slurred defiantly.

"_AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH H!_" someone yelled loudly from behind them, causing them all jump.

"What da the hell was that?!" Rebecca cried weakly as she turned to stare at the barn door with wide eyes.

"Are Ed and Winry still locked in there?" Riza asked with wide eyes.

"Oh, right you are, Rizzy," Rebecca nodded with a smile before she burst into another insane bout of drunken giggles. "I totally forgot they were still in there!"

"Well then maybe you should let them out," Riza grumbled as she shoved the two drunken teens away without a thought and went to open the door but found it locked. She turned around to look at Rebecca, who was now lying on the ground with her hand over her mouth, giggling and hiccupping like mad. "Rebecca, where's the key?"

"Wha-_hic_-what key?" she snickered.

"The key you used to lock them in!"

"I don' know whaht yur talkin' 'bout," Rebecca said, which caused Jean to laugh loudly, lying next to her.

Fuming, Riza turned around to the shed and address the two trapped inside through the door.

"I'll get you out in a minute, guys," Riza said loudly over the drunken laughs behind her. "I'll just go around back since Rebecca's not giving up the key!"

"Why the hell did you let her have the key anyhow?!" Ed yelled through the door.

"My bad," Riza sighed under her breath before she glanced over her shoulder at the two inebriated teens. She then marched away to the back, where she unlocked the door for the teens trapped inside. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Winry said with a shrug as she walked out of the shed, looking a little flustered. "We were only in there for a minute."

Riza watched as Winry walked away quickly before she turned to Edward and gave him a stern and questioning look.

"I apologized to her, alright?" he said, blushing slightly through his glare.

"Good."

The two went to catch up with Winry but accidentally ran into her when she stopped unexpectedly.

"What?" Ed asked, looking annoyed.

"Uh, do you see what I'm seeing?" she asked, blushing slightly.

"Huh?"

Winry pointed around the front of the shed and towards the ground, where two pairs of legs could be seen, tangled together. The three teens ran forwards but stopped suddenly when they were close enough to take in the full scene.

Jean and Rebecca were in the middle of a rather intense make-out session as they lay on the cold, hard ground.

"What. The. Hell?!"

* * *

**Hmm... Jean and Rebecca, what the hell are you guys doing? Ed and Winry, are you guys friends now? Or maybe possibly something more? And *gasp* who exactly overheard Al talking to his friends about Trisha? Questions that will only be asked if you keep reading.**

**But I am so excited for you guys to read the next chapter, because I think it's the best chapter yet. Unfortunately, I am not excited for school tomorrow. I guess the only benefit is that I have late arrival and don't need to show up until 9:20. -_- small victory.  
**

**Gonna go try and enjoy my last day of summer care-free summer vacation.  
**

**-FSK  
**


	36. New Year Surprises

**Hello readers! Thanks for all the reviews from last chapter! Appreciated it.**

**So my first full week of school is almost over and it hasn't been that horrible. The only horrible thing is Calculus, but no one has a clue in that class so I'm not alone! I start my english class at my community college next week so there's that to have an anxiety attack over. Whatever.  
**

**I really love this chapter and I hope you love it too!  
**

**Enjoy  
**

* * *

Edward, Winry, and Riza jumped. Jean and Rebecca finally untangled from each other, looking slightly dazed and a little confused as to where they were. They all turned to see Roy standing behind them with his jaw on the ground.

"Seriously! What the hell, Havoc!?" Roy yelled, his eyes popping out of his skull. "Did she drug you or something? Why the hell are you making out with that harpy?! I thought you had _some_ standards!"

Jean's mouth opened slightly but no words came out. He glanced at Rebecca out of the corner of his eye, she too looked as if she had no idea what to say, before he moved his arms from around her and propped himself onto his elbows.

"Well?" Roy asked, sounding unusually angry.

Jean's mouth stayed open as his upper body swayed back and forth. The teens watched as his face slowly changed colors, from red to white to grey, before he leaned to the side and vomited.

"Eugh!" Rebecca cried as she rolled away from Jean.

Winry watched with a feeling of pity as Jean curled up on his side and let out a loud groan. She could still remember Halloween quite clearly and knew just how bad it felt to puke up a bunch of alcohol.

"Jesus Christ, Havoc," Roy groaned, looking at his friend with mild disgust. "Not even midnight and you're already trashed?"

"Sorry…" Jean moaned.

"That better have been worth it, idiot," Roy sighed before he reached down to pull up his friend for the ground.

"No… leave me here to die," he moaned pitifully.

"I'm just gonna drag you into the shed where you can die in peace, not that you deserve it," he said before he yanked up the teen with unexpected ease and began dragging him towards the open shed door. "You three can deal with that one!" he yelled over his shoulder.

"Uh, you _two_ can deal with this one," Ed said before he turned on his heal and began marching in the other direction.

Riza and Winry sighed as they watched Ed retreat before they turned to Rebecca, who was presently trying to sit herself up but was failing miserably at the task.

"So what do we do with her?" Riza asked sourly.

"I'm fine, guys," Rebecca said happily, as she flopped back on the ground. "I jus' need to chill for a mo'ent."

"I give her a minute," Riza sighed as she turned her back on her failing friend.

"'til what?"

"Until she yacks," Riza said bluntly.

"Lovely."

* * *

"So what the hell happened exactly?" Sheska asked, looking extremely confused as she gripped Kain's hand.

"Uh, well while you were sucking face with your little boyfriend," Ed said bluntly as he gestured to Kain with his cup, who looked rather embarrassed, "Me and Winry got fucking kidnapped and locked in the shed, Rebecca and Jean got shit-face drunk, and then proceed to molest each other, and then Jean almost puked on her, which was pretty funny."

"What?!" Sheska screeched in indignation. "I miss _everything!_"

"Well that's what you get for being in a relationship," Roy said as he walked over towards them, looking rather disgruntled. "You tend to miss shit when you're in each other's faces twenty-four-seven."

"Don't listen to him," Maes said with a grin. "Poor boy's jealous."

"Only if in this alternate universe you've created in your mind, jealous means super happy that I'm not roped into a relationship then yes, I'm jealous," Roy said, deadpan.

"Where are Riza and Win?" Sheska asked as she looked around. "It's almost midnight."

"They're probably holding Bec's hair back," Paninya said with a small laugh. "I doubt she can hold out much longer. They'll probably be back in a minute or two."

"Well I can't wait that long!" Sheska exclaimed impatiently as she stamped her foot on the ground.

"Wait for what?" Gracia asked, looking confused.

Sheska turned to look at Kain, who was looking rather red and stared at the ground sheepishly. Roy stared at the two for a moment before the situation hit him like a ton of bricks to the face. He let out a loud, annoyed groan and covered his face with his hands.

"What's your problem?" Maes asked.

"Can't you see it?" he asked, annoyed, as he brought his hands away from his face. "Can't you just… just _smell_ it?"

"Smell what? Jean's puke on your shirt?" Ed asked.

"They're a couple!" Roy exclaimed, gesturing towards Sheska's and Kain's combined hands. "They're coupled together! Disgusting."

"Excuse me! We kinda wanted to say that!" Sheska yelled, looking rather annoyed.

"What, that you're coupling is disgusting? My bad."

"No! I kinda wanted to tell my friends that I finally had a boyfriend, you ass!"

"So you're really together now!?" Gracia squealed, covering her grinning mouth. "Like, you're official?!"

All the annoyance Sheska had been displaying before seemed to have disappeared within a flash. Her face broke into a huge smile and she began nodding her head like a bobble head. She let out a nervous but excited laugh before Gracia attacked her with a hug.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you, Shes!"

"Thanks!"

"There's something about New Years on the island that brings people together," Maes said with a smile as he patted Kain on the back.

"And we technically got together on the thirty-first so it's not like we stole your anniversary," Sheska said, looking and Gracia and Maes. "Since yours is on the first."

"Right at midnight," Maes said as he wrapped his arm around Gracia's shoulders and smiled down at her. "I remember that day like it was yesterday…"

"If you're going to reminisce about that day, then I'm just going to leave for a while," Roy sighed before he turned around and began walking in the opposite direction.

Roy ignored the voices from behind him, marched away from the cluster of people, and moved quickly into the forest, determined to get far away from them all. The party music quickly went away and soon, an odd silence was pressing in on Roy from all directions. Suddenly desperate for some sort of noise, he began to move towards the waters edge. However, before he heard any of the pleasant water sounds, he heard something else: gags and moans and girls voices.

Roy turned towards the noises and saw three small figures. One of the figures was bent over on the ground and the other two stood on either side of her. Blond hair caught moonlight on the two figures who remained standing.

"Riza?" he called out as he began to walk towards them. "Win?"

"Oh, Roy, it's you," Riza said as she looked up at him.

"The harpy looks like she's having a blast," Roy said with a slightly twisted grin as he stared down at Rebecca, who was currently puking her guts out all over the forest floor.

"Don't call her a harpy, Roy," Riza said in a stern voice.

"Right, right, my bad," he said, nodding his head. "She's really a _succubus_."

Winry giggled while Riza glared at the teen although Roy could have sworn he saw the corners of her mouth twitch, as if she really wanted to smile.

"Are you just mad because you're afraid everyone's going to _couple up_ and leave you alone with no wingman to help you?" she asked in a slightly patronizing tone.

"First off, I don't need a wingman," he said seriously. "Second of all, everyone _is_ coupling up because Sheska and Kain just came out of the couple closet!"

"They did?!" Winry exclaimed with a wide smile as she held Rebecca's hair back.

"Yeah and it was gross."

"I doubt it. Is that why you went running? Didn't want to catch any couple disease?"

"No. Well, yes actually. But also, Maes was about to recount the rousing story of how he first made out with Gracia," Roy said.

"Oh, well, I guess I understand you there."

"I've never heard that story," Winry said as she cringed at the noises of Rebecca puking.

"I'm never ever going to drink ever again…" she moaned from the ground.

"You better get that in writing," Roy advised Riza, who rolled her eyes at him.

"Anyways, the story of them getting together is cute," Riza told Winry. "But after you've heard it a hundred times, it loses its luster."

"Ah," she exclaimed. "Ew! Rebecca are you _trying_ to aim for my feet?!"

"Sorry…"

"Here, I'll take over," Riza sighed as she reached out to grab Rebecca's hair.

"Thanks," Winry said gratefully.

"How about you go back to the party, Win?" Roy asked, motioning over his shoulder with his thumb. "You missed parts already because you were forced into the shed with that idiot. You shouldn't miss anymore just because you're trying to be a good person."

"Really?"

"Yeah, go on, Winry," Riza said after a slight pause.

"Alright then, thanks guys," she said with a smile before she almost ran away from the scene, clearly quite happy to be far away from the scene.

The two were quiet for a while and did not talk until long after Winry's footsteps had faded away. Once Rebecca had finished throwing up, she curled up on an old blanket a few feet away.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Roy asked Riza.

"I can't just leave her here."

"We won't go far," he said. "Come on. I wanna talk to you."

"Alright…"

The two walked around the forest, only ever fifteen feet away from Rebecca in case she needed them, both silent for a moment.

"So what'd you want to talk about?" Riza asked.

"You seemed off earlier," Roy said, stopping in his tracks as he looked at Riza, who avoided Roy's eyes. "I wanted to know what's the matter."

"Nothing's the matter," she said after the slightest of pauses, finally looking up at him. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Mm-hmm," Roy mumbled, clearly skeptical.

Roy watched Riza for a moment, waiting for her to tell him but knowing deep inside that she would not. He opened his mouth to try to get her to tell him but the alarm on his cell phone went off, alerting to the both of them that it was midnight. A smile curled on Roy's face.

"It's midnight," he stated as he held up his phone for proof.

"That it is."

"And you know what you're supposed to do at midnight, right?" he asked with a wider smirk.

"Sing 'Auld Lang Syne'?" she asked with a shrug.

"No," he said with a slight laugh. "You're supposed to _kiss_ someone at midnight."

"Uh, if you desperate or in a relationship," Riza said with a snort.

"No. It's _tradition._ You _have_ to do it."

"I _have_ to?" she asked with a slight frown.

"Yup."

Riza gave him a hard look but Roy kept his course, trying his hardest to see if he could get her to kiss him. He didn't know if it was the alcohol in his system or if there really was a magic of New Years on this island but Roy was going against his instincts to run and hide from Riza glare.

"Come on, Riza," Roy continued in a softer voice. "It's just one little kiss. No biggie."

"Just a little kiss?" she asked as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Yup. Nothing too gooey. Unless you want to, that is," he added cheekily.

He watched with anticipation as she pursed her lips, threw a glance over her shoulder, probably to see if Rebecca could see them or not, and then turned back to Roy.

"Alright," she said calmly, dropping her arms to her sides.

"Alright?" he asked, sounding and feeling surprised.

"Yeah."

"Um… okay," he said, feeling suddenly nervous.

Riza smirked at him ever so slightly before she brought herself up onto her tiptoes so that they were at eye level. Roy felt chills go down his spin as Riza looked into his eyes and his heart could not help but hammer against his chest as she leaned in. He closed his eyes just as Riza did and felt her warm breath on his lips. But just as her lips grazed his, Riza moved her face and planted her lips right to the left of his lips.

"That's _not_ what I meant," Roy said grumpily as he looked down at Riza, who was grinning evilly.

"You said just a little kiss, Roy but you never specified _where_," she said with the slightest shrugs of her shoulder. "You should've planned that out better."

Riza clapped him on the shoulder before she turned away and began walking towards where Rebecca laid. Roy placed his hands behind his head, feeling all sorts of pent of energy fill him, and watched as Riza retreated.

"I'll make sure to get it in writing next time!" he called after her.

"You do that!" she called back with a slight laugh.

Feeling doped, Roy shook his head and turned away, ignoring any sort of _coupley _feelings that wanted to come to mind.

* * *

"No matter how many times I am in America," said a voice suddenly from behind Ed, which caused him to jump and slop beer onto his lap, "I will never get used to New Years in December."

"What the hell man?" Ed growled as he tried to blot the rather unfortunately placed stain away; it now looked as if Ed had bladder problems.

"You've been to America before?" Al asked, sounding generally interested while ignoring his scowling and swearing brother completely.

"Many, many times," Ling said with a large smile. "Mostly for business but also sometimes for pleasure."

"What sort of business do you do?" Al asked. "If you're allowed to tell me that is."

"Master Ling doesn't have to tell you anything," Lan Fan cut in harshly, glaring at Al.

"That is enough, Lan Fan," Ling said before he swatted her away like an annoying fly. "Go relax. Get a drink. In fact, get me a drink as well."

"Yes, sir."

"My father is in charge of large cooperation back in China," Ling said once Lan Fan was out of earshot. "He deals with a lot of international work and I am set on inheriting the business once he retires. I come to many different countries with him to learn first-hand."

"Is that why you're here? To work on International business?"

"Yes and no," Ling said. "I did come here with the intention of taking in another culture first hand but also, there are some problems back home."

"Like what?"

Lan-Fan returned with a drink in hand. Ling accepted it but quickly shooed her away. He watched over the rim of his cup as Lan Fan stalked away for a moment before he returned to the question.

"Some of my father's competitors want his business to close because he's doing so well. But unfortunately, my father appears very ill at the moment and some of his competitors believe he might retire soon."

"Uh huh."

"And if my father were to retire, which I don't believe will happen anytime soon, I would be the only thing standing in the way of the company from falling."

"I'm still not getting this."

"Some of my fathers opponents are rather fierce when it comes to what they want," Ling said slowly as he tried to find the correct words he wanted. "And they are not above taking out children for monetary gain."

"You mean… you mean they would _kill _you?!" Al exclaimed in extreme surprise.

"They are quite fierce," Ling said with a grim smile. "But I do not fear these cowards. Especially not now that I have Lan Fan."

"So, she's you're body guard."

"The best there is," he said proudly. "Her family had been working for my family for decades."

"So that's why you two are here… but what about Mei?"

A slightly sour expression came to Ling's face at the mention of Mei but it was quickly replaced by a slightly twisted grin.

"She is here because she wouldn't leave father alone when she heard I was being sent here," he said. "Tiny brat gets into everyone's business with that _rat_ of hers."

"What do you mean?" Al asked, feeling confused; Mei didn't seem all that bad to him.

"Mei is upset that father does not treat her as equally as he does me. Which is ridiculous when you think about it."

Al did not say anything but his crinkled brow and the confusion he felt must have told Ling he was still not understanding what he was trying to tell him.

"Mei is not only female but I am also older _and_ a _completely_ legitimate child."

"Wait… are you and Mei… _related?_"

"I am his half-sister," said a quiet but angry voice from behind them; the two turned to find Mei, looking angry, her round eyes sharpened into a glare directed at Ling.

"_Illegitimate_ half-sister," Ling scoffed.

"What?" Al asked, looking at the two as he tried to find any sort of resemblance.

"What are you doing, _child?_" he asked in a patronizing tone. "Spying on the big kids again?"

"No," she said defiantly. "Not everything is about _you,_ Ling. Just because you happen to think you are the center of the universe does not mean that you are."

"Yes, well, I am closer to being the center of the universe than you would ever be."

"I can't wait until we are back home," she said, shaking slightly with rage. "I can't wait until we are back where so many people want you dead."

"Mei!" Al exclaimed, looking at her with wide eyes.

Mei glanced at Al suddenly, as if she had not realized that he was there, her face quickly turning to the color of a fresh tomato.

"Yes well, even if the hack-job assassins ever did manage to catch me, there are still more people more suitable to the job than you ever would be," he said nastily.

"I don't care! I don't care if I never get to run the company! Just as long as you never get to!"

"Oh, just go and spy on someone else, will you?" Ling said after a moment.

"This is a free country!" she huffed. "I am free to do as I please!"

"I believe Master Ling told you to leave him alone," Lan Fan said from behind Mei. "You will listen to the Young Master and depart. Unless you would rather leave by force."

"Like you could if you tried," Mei sneered up at Lan Fan before she glared at her half-brother, glanced at Al with a softer expression, and then departed.

"Maybe we shouldn't invite those kids to these parties anymore if we can help it," Maes said uneasily as he watched the scene from afar.

"Key words in that sentence are _if you can help it_," Winry said.

* * *

"We should be heading out soon," Maes said with a yawn as he checked the time from his cell phone; it was three-thirty in the morning.

Many of the teenagers were now sitting or even lay passed out on the ground but a few partiers kept dancing and laughing, not wanting the party to end.

Maes glanced at Gracia, who's head rested on his shoulder as she slept quietly. He smiled before he gently nudged her awake and informed her of the time.

"We really should get going then," she yawned.

"This is always the hardest part," he groaned before he stood up and began walking towards the shed.

Once inside the shed, he stepped over Jean's unconscious form and turned off the music and the multicolored lights. He could hear the groans of disappointment coming from the few teens who managed to soldier on with plenty of energy to spare.

"What the hell, Hughes!?" Sheska cried as she continued to pull along a clearly exhausted Kain. "I was still dancing!"

"Yeah well if we don't leave soon we're going to be stuck here until tomorrow night."

"I don't see a problem with that."

"Uh, I kinda need to get going, Sheska," Kain said feebly.

"And we've got a little less than an hour to get everyone onto the rafts, paddle back to shore, hide the rafts, and then sneak back in and if we don't start hauling ass, someone's going to get caught and it isn't going to be me."

"Fine, fine," Sheska sighed, finally stopping her movement. "You win, party pooper."

"Alright, now let's get everyone to the shore and into the rafts," Maes said as he clapped his hands together for emphasis.

As per usual, it took a bit of time to get everyone back to the rafts with all of their belongings and it took even longer to figure out who was in good enough condition to steer the rafts. Once everything was settled, the two rafts set off across the quiet lake and before anyone knew it, they had reached the other side of the lake.

"Who's going to help me take the rafts back?" Roy asked as he pulled on of them from the water.

He turned and saw most of his able-bodied friends were busy with the arduous task of carrying less capable friends.

"I'll go," Riza said, stepping forwards.

"But-"

"Roy, I can manage a raft and no way in hell am I going to get in as much trouble as some of these other people," she said seriously as she hefted the other raft out of the lake. "Now let's go before the guards get here."

The two teens moved as quickly and quietly as one could while carrying a large raft but soon made it back to the hiding spot without reaching any trouble or obstacles.

"Good, now let's get back before we're caught," Riza hissed. "I really need a shower. I'm pretty sure Rebecca got some puke on my shoes."

"I don't smell anything," Roy said, sniffing.

"That's because _Jean _probably puked on _you _and you've just gotten used to the smell of puke so you can't distinguish it on me," she said quietly. "And lower your voice. You're too loud."

"Sorry."

Roy stepped out from behind a building and just as his foot hit the ground, a beam of light caught him in the face. Without thinking, he pushed back and forced Riza to the ground. He heard her gasp and squeak slightly as she fell but he could hear her scuttling backwards away from him. Roy knew that Riza was right; she would be able to weasel out of whatever punishment she was given because of who she was but it didn't matter. He did not want to risk her possibly getting in trouble because of him.

He winced as the bright light flashed in his eyes and he stepped forwards, hoping that Riza was not visible anymore.

"What the hell are you doing out at this hour?" asked the man, sounding annoyed. "Little late to be running around."

Roy knew instantly that he was in trouble. The Campus Patrol had probably already caught a good handful of kids sneaking around after curfew tonight and the fact that he smelled of alcohol, cigarettes, vomit, and lake water didn't make anything easier for him.

"I know," Roy said heavily in resignation.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Roy glanced over his shoulder ever so slightly and then looked the man in the eyes. He knew there was really only one answer in this situation and it tasted like vinegar in his mouth.

"No," he admitted. "I don't really have a good reason to be out. I'm sorry."

"Come with me," he said after a pause, beckoning him forwards with a gloved finger.

* * *

"I caught him right by East library, Sir," the officer told Grumman ten minutes later. "He was trying to get back to East. I'm sure he had been out partying though. He smells like a bar."

Roy stared at the floor, not forcing himself at all to feel guilty. There was just something about Grumman that just made you feel like you had wronged a grandparent; it was probably the one downside the man had.

Grumman sat wide-awake at his desk. There were a number of files on his desk and Roy just knew that were filled with student information. Many parents were probably going to get calls home tomorrow morning from the school.

"Thank you for bringing Mr. Mustang to me tonight," he said heavily, sounding much wearier than he looked. "I would like to talk to him in private before you escort him back to his room."

The officer nodded before he left the room. Grumman did not speak until several seconds after the door had closed.

"Sit, please," Grumman said as he motioned towards the couch in front of his desk.

Roy nodded before he dragged his feet over to him and sat down. He chose to stare at his folded hands instead of Grumman. While he still felt nervous and guilty, Roy knew that it was the right thing to do; Riza shouldn't be blamed just because she had some screwed up friends.

"So, Mr. Mustang, would you like to explain what you were doing tonight?"

He spoke as if Roy had an option, which he figured, he really did. Roy could choose to stay silent and take his punishment without a fight. Or he could, Roy thought, man up, confess to his sin, and take his punishment standing straight and tall. It was his option.

"I was… I was at a party tonight, with some other kids. Our party wasn't exactly inside school grounds either… I was putting away some things while the others snuck back to their dorms and I was trying to sneak back when I got caught," he said, finally looking up at Grumman. "I know I was out well past curfew and I know I did wrong and I'm sorry, sir. I don't want to disappoint you."

Grumman stared at Roy with his sharp, pale eyes and Roy stared back, determined not to break the connection. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Grumman leaned forwards, his hands folded in front of his face while his elbows rested on the desk, and spoke.

"I admire your truthfulness, Mr. Mustang," he said slowly. "I have been forced to talk to _twenty-two_ other children tonight and you were the first to admit that you had done wrong."

Roy nodded his head, not sure of what was coming. It didn't sound like he was going to get punished, or at least, not as harshly as the other twenty-two kids who got caught.

"I'm going to ask for some truth from you," he said quietly. "Could you name the other students you were out with?"

"I'm afraid I can't, sir," Roy said quickly before he knew what he was saying.

"You can't? Or won't?"

"I can't," Roy continued still staring Grumman in the eyes.

Grumman did not ask him to explain but continued to stare at him with a hard look for several more moments before he nodded his head and sat back in his chair.

"I have one last question for you, Mr. Mustang.

Roy nodded his head, expecting the worst, and waited for the punishment that was sure to come his way. He watched as Grumman surveyed him over the tops of his glasses for another moment while his stomach tossed and turned.

"Do you play chess, Mr. Mustang?"

* * *

**I love the ending of this chapter. And I love writing Grumman.**

**So, this was a rather busy chapter I feel. Some explanation on Ling, Lan Fan, and Mei, some cute coupling, a rather interesting Royai scene, and not to mention Grumman's weird request. Does anyone think they know who over heard Al last chapter? Message me if you have an idea.  
**

**Well I'll try to get the next chapter up soon; I have been updating rather spectacularly as of late so odds are I'll get the next one up soon, but no promises, school can be a time suck.**

**Please drop a review my way, it'll make me smile.  
**

**Thanks,  
**

**-FSK  
**


	37. A New Year

**Hey... if anyone's still out there... sorry for my crappy updating. Senior year junk and general laziness as kept me from writing.**

**Also, I GOT A LAPTOP! Unfortunatly, I tend to spend most of my time playing dumb games instead of doing anything useful.**

**So I know it's been a while since I updated, but here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"What?" Roy asked as he stared at Grumman in confusion, wondering if he had heard correctly.

"Chess. Do you play chess, Mr. Mustang?" he repeated calmly while smiling ever so slightly.

"Um… no." Roy said slowly, still feeling very confused.

"Well I happen to think it is a very helpful game," he said as he sat back in his chair. "Helps one think, teaches strategy, very good learning tool."

There was a long silence between the two men while Roy tried desperately to take in the sudden change in topic. Was he going to be punished or not? Did Grumman want to know who he was out with, or was he just curious to see if Roy would sell out his friends? It was all too confusing.

"I think you would benefit from learning chess," Grumman continued. "You will come to my office every Monday after classes at four-thirty and I will teach you the game."

"So…. Is that it then?" Roy asked slowly, although he was not sure why he was asking this. "There's no other punishment? You're not going to call home?"

"Would you like me to?" he asked with a smile.

"No!" Roy exclaimed, thinking of the wrath his aunt would bring if she heard what he had been doing.

"Well then yes, that is all," Grumman said pleasantly. "You told me the truth when so many haven't and I award truthfulness."

Grumman smiled at Roy and Roy managed a weak smile back at him.

"You're only punishment will be having to spend an hour a week with this old fart," Grumman said with a loud laugh. "Now, let the officer escort you back to your dorm and stay inside until the sun has come up, if you would be so kind."

"Yes sir," Roy said gratefully as he stood up. "I promise to behave. And I'll see you on Monday."

"Good night, Mr. Mustang."

"Good night, sir."

Grumman watched as Roy walked of the room and listened as he and the officer walked down the empty halls for a moment before he shook his head and glanced down at the silver picture frame on his desk.

"You have a good friend, Riza, my dear," he said fondly. "I just wish you would be more careful sometimes."

* * *

"So what the hell happened?!" Sheska exclaimed.

Roy had just walked into the Common Room of East Dorm and found the majority of his friends, the ones who were not incapacitated due to alcohol, sitting around the room, waiting for him.

Roy stared at the group for a second before he shrugged his shoulders at them all.

"Nothing," he admitted. "I'm not in trouble."

"What?" Maes asked, looking at his friend skeptically. "Like, not at all?"

"Not a phone call home?" Ed asked.

"No detention?!" Winry exclaimed in disbelief.

"Nope," he said with a sigh. "Oh, but I do have to go to his office every Monday after school."

"For what?" Al asked.

"… he's going to teach me how to play chess," Roy said slowly, still not really believing it himself. "Says it's a good teaching tool or something."

"What?" most of his friends exclaimed in disbelief.

"That doesn't make sense," Russell said.

"Very few things Grumman does make sense to anyone except him," Maes said.

"Yeah, well, I'm beat," Roy said with a yawn. "Let's just go upstairs and get some sleep."

As his friends moved towards the stairs, Roy turned around to find Riza still standing, smiling at the ground slightly while she shook her head ever so slightly; she did not appear to have realized she was doing it because when Roy called out her name, she jumped.

"You were zoned out," he said. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking about someone," she said vaguely, breaking out of her reverie. Her calm expression quickly turned into a much harder one as she took a step towards Roy. "You didn't have to push me out of the way. I wouldn't have gotten in trouble."

"And neither did I so no harm done," Roy said with a smirk.

Riza scowled at him before she shook her head and marched past him towards the stairs. Roy smiled at her retreating backside and followed after her, suddenly feeling rather exhausted after such a long night.

* * *

Nobody in East dorm seemed to have pulled themselves out of bed before noon and it was a safe bet that this was a similar occurrence in the other dorms. The cafeterias were empty during the breakfast hours and only after noon were people beginning to trickle inside them in search of food.

"Is Bec awake yet?" Winry asked as Riza and Gracia walked into her and Sheska's room, both fully dressed and looking perfectly normal.

"Nope," Riza sighed as she sat down on Sheska's desk chair.

"Occasionally she'll moan and groan and then go back to sleep," Gracia said as she perched herself on top of Sheska's desk.

"Well, she did have one hell of a night," Sheska said from her seat on her bed.

"I think everyone had one hell of a night," Winry said as she tried to pull a brush through her tangled hair.

"And what about your night, Win?" Paninya asked from her seat on top of Winry's bed. "You never did tell us what happened in that shed."

Sheska and Riza turned and stared wide-eyed at Winry while she averted her eyes from them while he face turned steadily pinker.

"Nothing," she said after a moment as she grabbed a pony tail for her hair.

"Bull. Shit," Paninya said bluntly.

"Really, nothing happened!" she exclaimed as she turned around to look at her friends. "He apologized for standing me up at the dance and that was it. Nothing monumental happened."

"Really?" Sheska asked, sounding a little let-down. "That was all?"

"Yes," she said, feeling annoyed. "And if you hoped for him to let out some big declaration of love while trapped in there with me, you really need to learn to lower your standards when it comes to Ed."

"Yeah well, we just kinda hoped that the so-called _magic of the Island _would push Ed in the direction of something a little more romantic," Paninya explained.

"I doubt that kid has a single romantic bone in his body," Winry said as she pulled her hair back. "And that's fine. But you guys have got to release that you can't just force someone into liking someone else with a little voodoo magic and booze."

"_I _wasn't trying to force him into liking you," Riza said, raising her hand. "I just wanted him to own up to his mistake and apologize."

"Me too!" Gracia exclaimed, looking innocent.

"And that's fine, guys," Winry said calmly. "I appreciated it. Even if it was really super awkward."

"Hey, do you guys wanna go get some food?" Sheska asked after a pause. "The café's probably still pretty empty. Not many people are going to pull themselves out of their beds."

"Sounds like a plan," Winry said. "And then I think we need to clean up and get Paninya's things together. She needs to be at the airport in a few hours."

"Really?" Gracia said sadly.

"Yeah, sorry girls," Paninya said as they walked out of the dorm room. "But I can always sneak back here and meet up with you again."

"You better," Sheska said seriously.

"She will," Winry said, smiling at her friend, who grinned back at her.

"Oh, hold up, I need to go get my wallet from my room," Riza said, stopping just as she passed her room.

She walked quietly inside, stealthily took out her wallet from her purse, and just before the door closed, Riza slammed the door the last three inches with all of her might.

"See ya later, Bec!" Riza yelled through the door.

A loud, tortured groan issued from behind the door and all of the girls giggled.

"That was a little harsh, don't you think?" Gracia said as she glanced over her shoulder at the door.

"Nope," Riza said while Paninya and Sheska continued to laugh. "It would have been harsh if I came in there with an air-horn and dumped a bucket of water on her."

* * *

"Jean!" Roy yelled as the air-horn he had found in the Common Room blared into his friend's exposed ear. "Wake! Up!"

"Stop!" Jean cried miserably as he crawled under his blankets in an attempt to escape from the noise. "Please sweet baby Jesus, stop!"

"Well that's what you get for getting so drunk that you made out with that harpy-succubus and then puked on my _new_ shoes," Roy yelled over the shrieking wail.

"Can you please stop, Roy?" Maes asked calmly from his seat at his desk. "It's kinda hard to focus while you're raping my eardrums."

"What do you need to focus on?" Roy asked, not stopping the air-horn. "We haven't had class in over two weeks."

"Yes well you see, there are these things called exams and they're in about four days," Maes said with a roll of his eyes. "Maybe you'd like to study too."

"Okay, first off, a _normal_ Saturday is a day of rest," Roy said, finally stopping the wailing of the air-horn. "Second off, it's January first, which is the _universal_ day of rest. So, no, I'm not going to study. I'll study tomorrow, or Monday, or Tuesday, or maybe even Wednesday morning before the test."

"Well you do know that the study guides are worth fifteen percent of your final exam score and last time I checked, you didn't have them all done yet," Maes countered.

"Dude, seriously, I promise, I'll look at them, _tomorrow_. But right now, I'm just trying to take a break."

"You call taking a break torturing your roommates?"

"Okay, Hughes, right now, Havoc is like a dog who just pissed all over the house and now I gotta rub his face in it so that he knows not to do it ever again."

"Doesn't do what? Piss all over the floor or make out with Rebecca?" Maes asked.

"Both," Roy said after a slight pause. "But mostly the second one."

"Alright but can you punish him in like, an hour or two when I'm done looking over my chem study guide?" he asked politely. "Because I really need to look over this again and I'm sure Jean will still be in a similar position in an hour."

"Fine," Roy said with a roll of his eyes.

He turned to leave the room but just before he made a complete turn, he forced the air horn back by Jean's ear and pressed the button one last quick time before he turned, laughing, and left the room.

"That dude's a douche of epic proportions," Jean moaned weakly from under the covers.

"Yeah well maybe you shouldn't drink so much and then barf all over the place," Maes said calmly as he returned to his chemistry notes.

* * *

"So the log of thirty-six divided by the log of twenty-five is… what, exactly?" Winry asked as she stared at her half-finished pre-calculus exam packet.

Winry looked up when Riza did not answer and found her for the third time today staring off into the distance. She glanced over at Gracia, who was helping them study, and exchanged nervous glances with each other. It was very unlike Riza to zone out so frequently. Sighing slightly, Winry lightly tossed her pencil at her friend so that it hit her in the forehead, effectively waking her out of her daydream.

"Wha…?" Riza mumbled as she blinked owlishly at them.

"Uh, are you alright, Riza?" Gracia asked kindly. "You seem a little out of it today."

"I'm just a little tired from last night is all," she said quickly in her usual brisk tone. "Busy night last night."

"Busy in what way?" Winry asked while she gave her friend a suggestive wink.

Riza scowled at her before she rolled her eyes at Winry and returned back to her completed math packet. She blindly tossed Winry's pencil at her, with it just barely missing her face.

"Hey!"

"So what was you're question again?"

"Um, question seventeen."

"Oh. Right, so the answer is…."

Winry, Gracia, and Riza continued to study for their Pre-Calculus exam until dinner and ever though Riza appeared to be normal through the rest of the study time, the two girls could not help but wonder what was on Riza's mind.

If Winry was sure about one thing, she was sure that whatever was on Riza's mind was much more than something stupid like midterm exams.

* * *

"Yes, mom, I actually did do things with my friends last night," Edward sighed into his cell phone as he stared at the ceiling of his dorm room. "I can have Al vouch for me if you still don't believe me."

"_Oh, I believe you, honey_," Trisha said kindly. _"I know you wouldn't dare lie to your mother over something like this."_

Edward scowled slightly as his stomach squirmed in discomfort; the mere idea of disappointing his mother made him sick and uncomfortable.

"_So did you have any fun last night?"_

"Ehh, yeah, I guess," Ed admitted after a second of thought. "It was all pretty chill."

"_But wasn't it nice to pull yourself away from your room and all of your books and research for once?"_ Trisha asked in a knowing tone that irked Ed.

"…it wasn't that bad," Ed mumbled reluctantly.

"_I think you had an amazing time and you just don't want to admit it,"_ she said teasingly.

"I already said I had a good time, mom," he argued. "But it wasn't some fantastic, life-altering night that I'll remember for years on end."

"_Uh-huh,"_ she said in a skeptic tone.

"Really, nothing happened," Ed continued. "We hung around and listened to music and we ate and drank and were merry. Nothing big."

"_I didn't question whether you had had a good time or not, Edward,"_ Trisha said with a tiny laugh in her voice. _"But if you'd like to tell me more about what you and your friends did…"_

"Nothing happened mom," he persisted. "I would just bore you with the recap of the party."

"_Hearing you were out with friends will never bore me, Edward,_" she said sincerely, causing Ed to blush slightly.

"Yeah well… I gotta go, mom," Ed said as he sat hunched in bed, the top of his head brushing the ceiling. "Dinner."

"_Alright, I'll talk to you later then,"_ she said. _"You're father just got home anyhow."_

"Right, bye," he said quickly while he tried to keep the anger than came to him when he thought of his father out of his voice.

"_Goodbye, Edward."_

Once Ed had ended the call, he stared at the phone for a moment, thinking of not only his mother but of the party from the previous night. While most of the party had been run of the mill, there still had been that weird moment where he and Winry were forced into the shed.

He shook his head as he tried to rid himself of the slightly embarrassed feeling that came over him at the memory before he slid off of the top bunk, stepped into his shoes, and walked from the room, content to forget about any aspect of the party for a long time.

* * *

Riza laid on her back on her bed in her dark dorm room, staring blankly into the darkness while a million thoughts ran across her head. Her head had been filled to capacity ever since she had accidentally stumbled into Alphonse's conversation with his friends during the party. She knew that her friends saw that her mind was somewhere else and if she kept acting this way, her friends would begin pestering and then what would she do? It wasn't her information to spread so she wouldn't but that wouldn't mean her friends would stop. Riza knew how her friends acted. If they had something to investigate, they'd search all over until they came up with something.

A low, loud groan from above her broke Riza out of her thoughts for a second while he still incapacitated roommate rolled over on her bed. Riza sighed heavily and shook her head in an attempt to keep her thoughts away from her but they just came back with a vengeance.

She had always known that Edward and Alphonse were hiding something from them all. Now she knew what it was; their mother appeared to be very sick. Riza's heart twisted as she thought of her own mother, who had passed away when she was young. She remembered how she wished there was something she could do to relieve her mother of her sickness. It appeared to her, from the brief conversation she had overheard, that Ed and Al were trying to do what she never could.

Riza thought back to all those times Ed chose to stay inside and study instead of going out with them. She remembered how they had fought with him and sometimes even forcibly removed him from the room while none of them understood why he was so hell-bent on studying instead of having fun with his friends.

Now she knew why and the knowledge made all the difference in the world. Instead of appearing like a weird, anti-social, shut in, Edward appeared more like a silent hero and instead of Al appearing like a perfectly normal teen, he turned into someone with much more depth; they both gained much more depth.

Riza sighed and closed her eyes. She wanted to know more about Ed and Al but at the same time, she did not want to pry. It was not her place to pry. It wasn't her life. She didn't want people to pry into her life so why should she pry into someone else's?

Riza opened her eyes and stared up at the dark underside of Rebecca's bunk bed while she searched for some sort of peace that would never really come to her. Hours later, she would get up from her bed and begin her day, while she pretended everything was perfectly normal on the inside when in all reality, everything was still so mixed up.

She wanted someone to tell her what she should do but she didn't want anyone to know she was so confused either. It was a real dilemma in Riza's mind; one that she could just not go spitting out to jut anyone. It appeared as if this was just one of those things she'd have to figure out on her own.

* * *

Once Saturday had sufficiently melted into Sunday, students slowly broke out of the funk that encased them after their intense celebration. One by one, the students of Amestris academy seemed to realize the closeness of the approaching exams and one by one, they quickly switched from extreme lethargy to extreme studying.

Sunday was spent in a haze for most people while their brains desperately tried to switch themselves back to thinking academically after such a long break. Sunday quickly bled into Monday and before Roy knew it, it was time for his first meeting with Grumman.

"What do you think he's going to really make you do?" Jean, who finally seemed to have broken out of hangover funk, asked as Roy prepared to leave.

"What do you mean?" Roy asked as he threw on his jacket. "He's going to teach me chess."

"There has to be some so of ulterior motive here," Jean said in exasperation. "Like, maybe 'teach chess' is some sort of secret teacher code for extreme punishment."

Roy stared at Jean for three beats before he shook his head and began walking towards the door.

"You know, you had me worried there for a second when you used a word like 'ulterior' in proper context but that dumbass theory of yours proved that a second of intelligence from you was merely a fluke."

Maes laughed as Roy closed the door. Jean scowled and turned to look at Maes, who was still chuckling into his math book.

"Seriously, there's gotta be something else going on here," Jean continued.

"Like what exactly?" Maes asked, still grinning lightly as he turned to look at Jean.

"I bet Grumman's gonna try and catch Roy off guard and make him fess up on who he was with!" Jean declared victoriously.

"First off, it has _never _been Grumman's style to play tricks on you to fess up," Maes said as he shook his head slightly. "He'll call you out and wait if you have the balls to tell the truth and lessen your sentence if you do."

"Well maybe he's switching it up to keep us on our toes," the blond invented quickly.

"While I still doubt that, I'm sure if Grumman really wanted to know who was out with Roy, he could call us _all _out in a second," Maes said with a roll of his eyes. "He knows a lot of us, whether it be because we're in trouble a lot or because we're doing good things a lot, and I'm pretty sure he knows who Roy would be hanging out with."

"So what, do you think Grumman's really just going to teach Roy chess and leave it at that?"

"I'm sure that's what it'll appear to everyone, including Roy, on the surface but I bet you a million bucks Grumman has some sort of plan that none of us would ever be able to guess in a billion years."

"Aha! So he does have an ulterior motive!"

"Yeah but nothing idiotic like you came up with."

* * *

**Hmm, wonder what is going to happen with Grumman. And next chapter will go more in depth to the aftershocks of the New Years Party, so wait for that. I'll try to get it up as soon as I can.**

**BTW, if there are any Legend of Korra fans out there, I put up a new story for that series and I would appreciate it if someone stopped by and dropped a review my way. :)**

**Thanks for reading, I'll try to get this updated again pronto!**

**-FSK**


	38. New Struggles

**Hello readers! Sorry about the wait again but I've been busy with some junk as of late but whatever, excuses, excuses.**

**I'm kinda sad because last night was the senior night for marching band and it was my last night performing at half time at my stadium and the last time I will ever march up and down my street on the way to the stadium. But it was fun night and my speech made a lot of people cry, so I think that was a rather succesful night. :p**

**But enough on that. Let's get to the good stuff.**

* * *

Roy walked up the front steps of the Administrative building slowly, feeling much more nervous than he had moments before. Once inside, the gentle secretary looked up and smiled expectantly at him.

"I'm here for a meeting with Headmaster Grumman," Roy said; he was glad that he sounded calm and casual while inside his gut was wriggling around nervously.

"Yes, yes, you're right on time, Mr. Mustang," she said, nodding her head as she checked something on her computer screen. "Mr. Grumman is waiting for you in his office."

"Thank you."

Roy moved his surprisingly heavy feet down the hall and even though the door leading to Grumman's office was partially opened, he knocked on the door and waited until Grumman told him to enter.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Mustang," Grumman said while smiling pleasantly.

"Good afternoon, Sir," Roy managed to stutter out. He didn't know why he was so nervous; he had been in Grumman's office a million times before. He wasn't even in trouble.

"Come and sit down," Grumman said as he motioned to the small table he had set up in the corner. Grumman waited for Roy to cross the room and sit down before he spoke again. "Would you like some tea? I know not many of you kids drink tea anymore but I figured I should at least offer you some."

"Uh, tea would be fine," Roy said as he attempted to relax; he did actually enjoy tea, especially in this cold weather.

"So, Mr. Mustang," Grumman began as he placed a steaming cup of tea in front of Roy while he held a tattered wooden box under his arm, "Are you ready?"

Roy, who had just taken a scalding sip of tea, forced himself to swallow and coughed roughly while he nodded, his eyes watered.

"Do drink the tea with discretion. I've been known to heat it too much," Grumman added as he took in Roy's pained expression.

"Yeah, I noticed," Roy coughed, feeling mortified.

"Well, let's not let this time go to waste!" he said as he sat down across from Roy. Roy watched with some apprehension as Grumman set down the wooden box in the center of the table before he opened the box, revealing a jumble of white and black pieces. "Let's begin your first lesson."

* * *

"So on a scale from one to a million, how awkward were classes today due to JeBecca?" Winry asked as Sheska walked into their shared dorm room after classes.

Sheska kicked off her shoes and let her school bag drop to the ground as she gave Winry a look of unbelievable exhaustion. Winry watched from her desk chair as the brunette dragged her feet to her bed and collapsed on top of it.

"That bad, huh?" Winry muttered as she swiveled in her chair.

"On a scale of one to a million, it was a billion-trillion to the infinite power," Sheska groaned into her pillow.

"Really?"

"I have to sit in between them in four classes," Sheska began with her face lifted from out of her pillow. "And in Government, we're working on a project together, so it's was so horrible! Neither would acknowledge the other and I had to act as a freaking messenger and I was about to kill myself! JeBecca is going to be the death of me, I swear."

JeBecca was the clever name that Gracia had come up with to save time whenever they were talking about the complicated relationship between Jean and Rebecca.

"Well would you rather have them not speaking to each other or screaming at each other like normal?" Winry asked as she fiddled with a wrench that she had accidentally swiped from the metal shop today. "Must be something of a break to not have them screaming in your ears all day long."

"Are you kidding me?" Sheska cried as she squeezed her pillow. "I wish things could just be normal again! They're like freaking zombies! Super awkward and over polite zombies to be exact!"

"Well what are we supposed to do about it?" Winry asked. "If we tried locking them in a closet until they made up they'd probably just end up killing each other…"

"Or pregnant," said an annoyed voice by the door.

Winry turned and saw Riza standing in the doorway still fully dressed in her school clothes, looking both exhausted and exasperated.

"I think Rebecca is the last person who should be pregnant," Sheska grumbled into her pillow.

"Especially if she was having Jean's baby," Winry giggled, completely amused by the idea of Jean and Rebecca's imaginary baby.

Winry watched as Riza rolled her eyes before she crossed the room and collapsed on the edge of Sheska's bed. Winry could not help but notice that her friend's usually calm eyes now screamed of annoyance and possibly thoughts of murder.

"Rebecca come back yet?" Winry asked tentatively so that she would not set off the bomb that was growing right below Riza's skin.

"Yup," Riza snapped. "Came in, blasting music through her headphones so loud I could hear it and now she's holding herself up in the bathroom. So if she's not going to try and fix this shit she got herself into because of her being drunk, I'm not going to force her into fixing it."

"That seems a little harsh, Riza," Winry remarked with a slight frown.

"She's a big girl. If she wants to act all drunk and stupid and doesn't want to face the consequences, that's on her," Riza said as he inspected a cracked nail. "I'm be happy to help her if she asks me for help but until then I'll just be sitting her."

"Hmm…" Winry mumbled as she leaned against the back of her chair.

She thought of today during lunch, when all the girls had chosen to eat at the cafeteria while the boys ate somewhere else, supposedly in the dorms. She remembered how oddly quite lunch had been without the sometimes obnoxious boys there. Not only had she missed the boys, but she had missed seeing a certain golden-haired boy who she had hoped to strike a conversation up with, now that they were sometime of friends. But Winry had a feeling that Ed wasn't there because he was studying instead of because he was choosing sides in this awkward time. Winry hoped that soon the two teens could figure something out so that everyone could be friends again.

_Hopefully this doesn't last too long…_

* * *

Roy stared at the black and white board while his hand hovered over a row of white pieces. He chewed on his lip as he furrowed his brow in concentration; a mess of rules and piece movements ran around his brain right now. Roy flickered his eyes upwards at Grumman for a second, long enough to see the easy smile on the old man's face.

"Don't be afraid to make a move, Mr. Mustang," Grumman said before he took a sip of his tea, looking more relaxed than Roy had ever seen him before. "It's okay to make mistakes. Especially at this point when you are such a novice to the sport."

Roy let his pale hands twitch about the white pieces for another moment or two before he made up his mind and moved a pawn forward a square. In a flash, Grumman had picked up the horse, _no,_ the _knight_ and flicked his pawn aside, causing Roy to scowl. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Roy threw up his arms and sighed.

"That's it. I give up," Roy snapped as he ruffled his black hair in irritation.

Grumman had spent a good half an hour going over each pieces abilities and specified movements, along with the set-up of the game board and the point of the game. The next thirty minutes had been filled with Roy's many failed attempts at chess. Grumman seemed to know his next move before he even knew what he was going to do next. It frustrated Roy to no end.

"Come now, Roy," Grumman said in a slow and careful voice, sounding so much like a grandfather trying to sooth an upset grandchild it was almost scary. "You just can't give up when you've just started."

"I can and I am," Roy growled as he rubbed his face with his hands. "Watch me."

"I know chess is a little difficult at the beginning, but you mustn't give up before you can really begin."

Roy let his hands fall to the ground and stared at the old man. He wished he could just yell at the man and tell him how at this point, he would much rather spend the next month scrubbing dishes in the kitchens as punishment but he somehow kept it inside. However, Grumman seemed to read his mind; Roy could see it by the small fall in his expression.

"How about we call it a day then," Grumman suggested with a slight nod. "It's almost time for dinner and I'm sure you have to study for your exams still."

Roy stood up as Grumman stood up, grateful to be allowed to leave but his head began to ache as he thought of all those study guides he had left unfinished.

"I shall see you same time next week then?" Grumman asked as Roy pushed in his chair.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Roy mumbled, not feeling rather thrilled over next week's meeting.

"And promise me I won't see you in my office again before next week," Grumman added with a small smile when Roy reached the door.

Roy turned and managed a tired smile before he shrugged and said, "I'll do my best, but don't be too surprised if I break the promise."

* * *

"There is no way that I am going to pass this exam," Winry mumbled into her arms Tuesday after classes.

She, Gracia, and Riza were sitting in her room as they attempted to study for their exams. Winry would not have to face her hardest class, Pre-Calculus, until Friday but she still felt that even with three more nights of studying, she would not be able to understand what was going on in that class.

"Sure you will, Win," Gracia said in a comforting voice. "You're freaking out for no reason."

"And don't forget that the study guide counts as fifteen percent of your exam grade and it's only graded on completion," Riza added as she chewed on the top of her pencil as she stared at a particularly difficult problem.

"So really, you only need a forty-five percent to pass you exam!" Gracia said brightly. "I'm pretty sure you can get a forty-five, Win."

"I wouldn't put money on that bet if I were you," Winry muttered miserably into her text book.

"Quit being so down on yourself," Riza said as she looked up at Winry. "Here, let me try and help you again. What are you having trouble with? The Trig?"

"Yeah but it doesn't matter how much you help me I just don't understand it!"

"Maybe you should go ask Field for help tomorrow after the exams," Riza suggested as she scribbled down an answer.

"I don't know," Winry sighed as she picked her head up. "I get the feeling that if I didn't get it before, I'm not gonna get it now."

"Hmm… maybe you should go ask Ed for help," Gracia mused as she twirled one of her brightly colored pencils in between her fingers.

Winry turned to look at the short-haired girl and expected to see a smirk on her face or a knowing look in her eyes, but she did not see anything out of the ordinary. After a moment, Winry sighed, picked up her math book and the almost complete study guide, and made for the door.

"Why not," she sighed as she pushed her messy blond hair out of her eyes.

A few feet from Ed's door, Winry realized she was dressed in some crumpled and slightly stained sweats but found after a long moment that she really didn't care how she looked right now. Just as she was about to knock on Ed's door she heard Ed's angry tone break through the door. When she heard no one talking back to him, she had to assume he was talking to someone on the phone. Winry glanced down the hall and back behind her before she leaned forward and pressed her ear to the door.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you this but it's not okay to leave her alone for so long!" Ed said, his voice sounding angry and muffled due to the door. "I don't care what she says, she can't be left alone, dad! She's knows that better than anyone else."

_He's arguing with his father… but over who?_

"Whatever," Edward huffed. "I'll call her in the morning and check up on her, I'm sure you'll be too busy to do it."

_Ouch_, Winry thought. _That seemed a little harsh, Ed._

Suddenly, the doorknob began to twist and Winry jumped back just as Edward opened the door. The two blonds stared at each other for a moment, one looking slightly confused while the other tried to look as innocent as possible. Edward had an overflowing basket of laundry balanced on his hip with a text book under the other arm.

"Uh, hey, Winry," Edward finally said after a slightly awkward pause. "What's up?"

"Uh, um, I wanted to ask you if maybe you could help me with this pre-calc," Winry said, feeling slightly flustered over being almost caught once again. "I'm still not really understanding it and I could use some extra help before the exam Friday. If you're not too busy, that is."

"Oh," Ed said before he glanced at the text book in her arms and shrugged. "I was gonna go do some laundry now but if you wanna come down there with me, I can try to help you while I wait for my clothes."

"Sure, that sounds great," Winry said with a smile and a nod.

"Well, follow me then," Ed said before he pulled the door closed behind him. Together, the blond teens walked down the empty dorm hallway together.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Maes asked as Roy walked into the room and tossed his snow-covered jacket to the ground.

"Ah, I got a little mouthy during psych today and I had to clean the classroom as detention," the dark-haired teen grumbled as he kicked his shoes across the room, not caring where they landed. "Where's Gracia? I was sure that you'd be glued together since you were forced to separate again today thanks to dumb and dumber."

"She was here earlier but she's in Win's room now with her and Riza. They're studying for pre-calc."

"That's not until Friday, right?" Roy said while he tried to remember what tests he had tomorrow; he was pretty sure math wasn't tomorrow but he was exactly positive.

"Yeah but Win's always had some trouble with it tomorrow is a bunch of easy exams."

"Hmm… where's the dumb blond?" Roy asked as he collapsed on his bed, feeling completely worn out.

"I think he's in the Tringham's room with Al studying for their Alg II test for tomorrow."

"Harpy's not showing her face for that study session I assume?" Roy asked as he covered his face with his forearms.

"Well based off of today events, I'd assume that no, _Rebecca_ was not joining them for a study session," Maes said in a stern tone.

Today the group had been separated at lunch by gender, a situation that was particularly problematic for him. He was absolutely dying without his Gracia next to him at lunch.

"Hopefully those two will grow up soon and then we can all be one big happy family again," the bespectacled teen muttered as he scanned through a folder of photos he had taken over winter break.

"Dude, you do know that hoping that those two _idiots _will grow up is like asking for all the hot chicks in the world to drop into this room this second, right?"

"No, not really," Maes said as he spun around in his computer chair so that he could face his best friend. "Because one of those things I want to happen and one of those things I really do not want to happen."

"Why? Because when a super-hot chick comes falls into this room you'll be forced to realize that Gracia is not the hottest chick on the planet?" Roy grumbled, feeling too tired to care about what he was saying.

"How dare you think I would ever not love my wonderful, beautiful darling?!" Maes shouted, sounding legitimately outraged. "She is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I would be lost without her! I would never choose her over some random girl who's dropped from my ceiling! How could I ever pick some random girl over her, for she is the most beautiful-!"

"Jesus Christ, Hughes, it was a fucking expression," Roy snapped as he took his arms off of his face and glared at his friend. "Calm down will you?"

"Sorry… but come on, isn't Gracia like an angle?" Maes asked with misty eyes.

"I give up."

* * *

Rebecca stared at her algebra II book and silently willed herself to suddenly comprehend the numerous equations that were written across the pages. Her algebra exam was the first thing next morning but she still hadn't made headway with most things on her study guide. She knew her problems could probably be fixed if she just went down the hall where Al, Russ, and Jean were studying but no way in hell would she willingly go into the same room as Jean Havoc.

Her face burned and her heart twisted as she thought of the blond-haired smoker and Rebecca had the sudden wish to run down the hall and throw her text book into the blonde's face. Instead of listening to her overactive imagination, Rebecca pushed her book away and let her face fall into her pillow.

_Stupid Jean…_

Rebecca would have loved to blame everything on the tall teenager but she knew that at least half of what had happened at the New Year's party was her fault.

_My fault because I'm a stupid drunk_… Rebecca thought as she hit her head against the pillow again. _Now how are you going to get out of this mess Rebecca?_

* * *

"So, how was your little study session with Ed?"

Winry turned around and saw Sheska sitting on her bed, smirking widely at Winry, which caused her to pout and her face to flush slightly.

"Helpful," Winry said once her blush had faded as she shut the door behind her.

"In what way?"

"In the pre-calculus way," she said as she set her books down on her desk. "Ed's a pretty good teacher."

"Really? That's all?" she asked with a slight pout.

"Yes."

"Because according to Riza, you've been gone for a good hour and a half. I get the feeling that some things besides math went on between you two."

Annoyance bubbled up inside Winry with anger boiling just below, but she pushed it down. She turned around to face the brunette and threw her hands up in the air.

"That's it! You got me! After Ed helped me with trig functions, he bought me a soda from the vending machine and we shared a bag of chips while we waited for his clothes to finish drying. It was_ so_ hot."

"Well it sounds like an improvement over him not knowing you existed," Sheska mused as she kicked Winry's mattress above her.

Anger snapped inside her for the briefest of seconds before it dissipated completely and turned into something Winry didn't know but left her feeling tired.

"Well we both seemed to have had a good time and he's going to help me again tomorrow after school," she added, feeling defensive for reasons she wasn't sure of.

Winry climbed up the ladder to her bunk and crawled under the blankets, feeling exhausted even though it was only a little past dinner time. Just Winry closed her eyes, she heard Sheska mutter to herself, "Maybe I should go to Ed for tutoring…"

**Yeah, I know this chapter was kinda filler-ific, but I'm working on the next chapter as I type. I've got two solid pages written now and I'm gonna work on it all day today, since this is the first saturday in two month's that I haven't had something to do. -_- **

**So I hope you enjoyed it and hopefully I'll get the next installment up soon.**

**Please send a review my way! It'd make me happy!**

**-FSK**


	39. Bump in the Night

**Uhhh... um, yeah... no real excuse for this super sucky updating. Writer's block, work, general laziness... sorry guys. I really feel horrible for doing this to you.**

**All I gotta say is happy holidays, happy no ending of the world, and I hope you all forgive me, even though I don't deserve it.**

* * *

Winry slapped her alarm clock as it blared in her ear Wednesday morning. The second she opened her eyes, she felt her stomach twist in nervousness. Today would be the first day of Exams at the academy and even though today was easy, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Shes," Winry groaned as she slid out of bed and let her feet drop onto the floor. She looked at the bundle of cloth on Sheska's bed and took in the slow, rhythmic movements. "Sheska! Wake up! You have your stats exam today!"

"I'll take an F, thanks," Sheska groaned as she rolled over in the bundle.

"Yeah well I don't think your parents would be very happy to hear that you've failed when the school's sent your grades out," Winry said as she walked into the bathroom and began cleaning up for the day.

* * *

"Everyone, please sit down and get ready. I'd like to give you the full ninety minutes for you to work on your exam but I can only do that if you're all seated and quiet," Mr. Huston said as he walked into the room, his hair flecked with morning snow.

"Hey, sweet heart," Maes said as he leaned to his side to whisper to Gracia. The gentle-faced girl turned and smiled at his pet name. "Do you wanna do something special for lunch today? I've really missed you…"

"That sounds great, honey," Gracia said as she leaned forward instinctively, her smile widening. "What did you have in mind?"

Just as Maes opened his mouth to answer his beloved girlfriend, Mr. Huston slapped down some answer sheets in between them, a little rougher than Maes felt necessary. He looked up at the dark-haired young man and for a fraction of a second, he could have sworn the teacher was frowning but when he blinked, the teacher was smiling, look a little weary but still smiling all the same.

"Come now, you can discuss your lunch plans after you've finished with the exam," Mr. Huston said lightly as he passed the exam packets down the row.

Once Mr. Huston had moved to the next row of desks, Maes turned and sent Gracia a covert smile which she returned within an instant. Their smiles lingered for longer than Maes had planned and after a moment, he felt eyes burning on the back of his head. He turned around but saw no one; everyone else was bent over their papers as they scribbled their names and dates onto the page.

_Whatever._

Shaking off the odd feeling, Maes bent over his own paper and soon lost himself in the extensive list of questions.

* * *

Rebecca pulled her hood off of her head as she entered the art room for her crafts exam. An exam for something like crafts… how ridiculous of a concept. Being graded on anything in this class always seemed ridiculous to her but Miss Hudak said that the _establishment_ forced her to give everyone a grade, even if it was against her beliefs. This was one of the reasons why Rebecca had so willingly signed up for the class; as if she actually enjoyed making pot holders for an hour a day.

As she approached the table she usually shared with Sheska and Riza and saw that it was currently empty. Rebecca blew her hair out of her face as she sat down, feeling lonely. She and Riza hadn't been getting along all that well since the New Year's party but Rebecca understood her friend's temporary coldness completely. There was only so many time you could deal with taking care of your drunk, idiotic friend before you had to put your foot down.

Rebecca planned on apologizing to her in full today during lunch. She would buy her roommate her favorite lunch, thank her for taking such good care of her at the party, apologize repeatedly for being a drunken idiot, and then she'd clean her part of the room that was currently a pig-sty.

Hopefully those gestures would be enough to fix the bridges she had been busy burning with a bottle of booze as accelerant. If Riza didn't forgive her… well, Rebecca didn't really want to think about what would happen. Even though she and Riza were polar opposites most of the time, Riza was Rebecca's best friend and she would be lost without her.

Rebecca was broken out of her rather depressing thoughts by the scrapping of a chair in front of her. She looked up and saw Riza standing in front of her and watched as the blond sat down and unraveled a scarf from around her neck; it looked new and way nicer than the usual second-hand things Riza owned.

"Where's Sheska?" Rebecca asked as she glanced towards the door.

"Didn't she have her math first thing too?" Riza asked with a slight huff. "Didn't you see her when you left your exam?"

"Sheska's class is in the next building over from my class," Rebecca muttered as she glanced towards the clock.

"She's gonna be late if she doesn't get here soon," Riza said as she glanced at the clock too.

"Not that it really matters," Rebecca mused as her eyes drifted towards the small Asian girl who had crashed the New Year's party. "Miss Hudak never cares when someone's late. Even when it's an exam."

There are a long, slightly awkward pause as Rebecca stared ahead at her friend, who refused to meet her eyes as she fiddled with her pencil case, which also looked oddly new. As the bell rung, Rebecca gathered her courage and opened her mouth to speak.

"Riza, I-"

"Maaaaaaadde it!" Sheska trilled as she skidded into the quiet classroom, looking more disheveled than normal with her hair messier than usual and her glasses that just barely clung to her face. Sheska stood still in the center of the class for a second while everyone stared at, clearly unsure of what to do with the attention she had brought upon herself.

"Well it is certainly nice of you to join us, Sheska," Miss Hudak said as she floated among the tables.

Sheska smiled nervously before she shuffled quickly to the table. Both Riza and Rebecca gave the small brunette questioning and confused looks. The flustered teen retreated into her winter coat for a minute before she addressed the table.

"I was talking to Kain and we lost track of time…" she trailed off quietly, face read.

"Talking, is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?" Riza asked with a little smirk.

"Cus you look awfully red for someone who was just talking," Rebecca finished with a satisfying smirk.

"We were just talking!" Sheska insisted. "We were making plans for lunch today and we got sidetracked."

"Sure," Riza said with a smirk, causing Sheska to flush slightly.

"Everyone, settle down!" Miss Hudak called over the low din of people talking quietly to their neighbors. "Let's get this exam started, alright? It shouldn't take you too long."

"Hey, Riza," Rebecca said quietly while leaning forwards slightly. "Wanna grab some lunch? My treat."

Rebecca watched for a moment as Riza contemplated the offer, rolled her eyes ever so slightly and let out a tiny sigh before she nodded stiffly with her lips pursed in what could only be annoyance.

"Fine."

"Cool, I know North has your favorite today; we could go there."

Riza shrugged but said nothing else as Miss Hudak set down the exams on their tables. Rebecca grabbed hers and let out a deep breath that she had been holding inside for some time now. Riza said yes. They'd be back to normal by the end of the day, or at least on the fast track to being okay again, which Rebecca would take.

* * *

"So how did you think you did on the exam?" Jean asked Winry as he attempted to wipe a spot of stubborn grease off onto his pant leg.

"Do you really have to ask?" Winry said with a cocky smile as she threw her bag over her shoulder and buttoned her winter coat. "I mean, who has the highest grade in this class?"

"Way to be humble," Jean said with a sigh as he shook his head, giving up on the grease and picking up his own school bag. "I think I did alright, in case you were wondering."

"Not like I expected you to do badly," Winry said with a roll of her eyes. "You've always done fine in this class."

"Fine?_ Just_ fine? I think I've done amazing in this class so far," Jean said with faux indignation in his voice.

"Oh well_, excuse_ me," Winry said with a small laugh as they exited the building and walked out into the cold. "I'm sorry I offended you."

"You should be," Jean continued. "And as punishment for offending me, you should treat me to lunch."

Winry made a loud noise of indignation that alerted the attention of many people around them, but caused Jean to laugh.

"How about I buy you a coffee and we're even," Winry said as they continued on their walk. "I know how you eat and if I were to pay for your lunch, I would be out of money for the rest of the month."

"Ah well, it was worth a try," Jean said as he stretched his long arms above his head. "How about you go buy me that coffee now? Unless you've got other plans for lunch."

"No, I didn't make any sort of plans for lunch," Winry said. "I think Sheska's having lunch with Kain and Gracia's off with Maes, so why not?"

"Well let's get a move on before all the good food's eaten."

* * *

"So… Riza…" Rebecca began as she slid into a seat across from her best friend. After their crafts exam, which had been so ludicrously easy that Rebecca was sure she could have done it blind folded and drunk, the two girls had dropped their things off at their dorm and then walked up to North for the soul purpose of ordering Riza's favorite chicken sandwich with chicken noodle soup on the side. Rebecca settled on sub-par hamburger and fries but didn't complain at all about the food for once.

"So, Rebecca," Riza said with her eyes focusing on her food as she poured an extra sugar into her coffee.

"I just wanted to say that I'm really, truly sorry for being such a drunken idiot during New Years," Rebecca started off, sounding slightly shaky. "And I'm sorry that you had to take care of me again and I really appreciate it and… I'm just really sorry I'm an idiot and I don't want you to be mad at me anymore."

Rebecca watched as Riza took a long drink from her cup of coffee, sighed, and then finally looked up at Rebecca; she was relieved when she didn't see any anger in her friend's brown eyes.

"I didn't have to take care of you, you know," Riza said as she set down her cup and picked up her sandwich but she didn't take a bite out of it. "I could have just left you there or someone else could have taken pity on you and helped you but I helped you without thinking about it."

"I know," Rebecca mumbled as she stared down at her basket of deflated fries and willed herself not to cry while she thought of how shitty of a friend she was when she compared herself to Riza. "You're definitely the better two of this duo. By a long shot."

"That's not what I meant, Becca," Riza sighed as she set down her sandwich and looked her friend in the eye. "I was just correcting you in what you said in your apology. I didn't have to take care of you. I chose to. And I know that if for whatever highly unlikely reason I were to ever get blackout drunk, you would take care of me."

"In a heartbeat," Rebecca said quickly while she thought of all the times Riza had come to her drunken rescue.

Riza nodded her head before she sank her teeth into her chicken sandwich, leaving Rebecca feeling nervous and cautiously hopeful. Was Riza going to accept her apology or was she going to throw it to the side.

"Now, instead of hearing you grovel for another half an hour like last time," Riza said, her voice slightly muffled she wiped her face with a napkin, "I'd much rather like to hear a proper explanation of what was going through your head when you decided to swap major saliva with Jean."

Riza words caused Rebecca to choke on her sip of soda and it took her almost a minute for her to return to normal.

"Why'd you have to say that so loudly?!" Rebecca coughed with wide, panic-filled eyes. "There are people here who can hear you!"

"Oh no one's listening to us," Riza said in a much louder voice than normal with a slightly twisted smile on her face; clearly, Riza was making her friend squirm in revenge for her mistakes. "Now come on, I think you owe me a little explanation."

Rebecca slid down in her chair slightly and looked around quickly with her red face. Since it was unlikely at best that her blond friend would ever get blacked out drunk and she would have to take care of her, Rebecca knew this is what she would have to do as penance to her sins.

_Just rip it off like a band aid_, Rebecca told herself as she pushed herself up and stared directly at her best friend. She let out a shuddering breath and glanced at the time; they still had a good hour until lunch was over and Rebecca could escape. _This is what you get for being such an idiot. Just do it. Say it. You'll probably feel better after you talk about it._

"Alright. An explanation," she said as she pushed her dark, wavy hair behind her ears. "Well, here it goes…"

* * *

Winry watched with mild curiosity as Jean ate half of his sandwich in one bite and then proceeded to drink a third of his drink without struggling. Another bite and the sandwich was history. Winry glanced over Jean's lean frame and wondered for a moment where the hell the food went.

"I know I'm good looking, but you could try a little less to stare," Jean said as he smiled cockily at Winry.

Winry rolled her eyes at the blond while she scoffed lightly.

"Way to be humble," she snorted. "And I was just wondering where the hell you put all that food. You eat like you haven't eaten in days but then you eat like this every couple of hours. Don't you ever get full? Or are you secretly a trash disposal?"

"I'm a growing boy," Jean laughed. "I need my nutrients."

Winry sipped her own drink while she thought if Jean grew anymore vertically he wouldn't be able to fit through the doorways of the buildings anymore.

The two blonds ate in a peaceful silence for a few moments before a pressing thought came to Winry's attention. She had wanted to ask the question ever since the now infamous New Year's party but she hadn't been in close enough proximity to the blond teen to ask until now.

"So… do you like, like Rebecca?" Winry asked bluntly, causing Jean to choke on a monster bite of sandwich.

"Wha-what the hell!?" Jean cried as he tried to dislodge a portion of sandwich from his throat. The teen's coughing and hacking and crying quickly alerted everyone in the cafeteria of his predicament but no one seemed to want to help, just stare with varying levels of curiosity. After a couple more minutes of chocking and coughing and wheezing, Jean finally emerges, teary-eyed and looking slightly mortified. "Why would you just ask something like that?" he asked with a red face.

"Because I want to know," Winry said simply as she sipped her drink. A smirk came to her face before she leaned in and said in a softer voice, "So do you like her? You never answered my question."

"I-I do _not_ like that witch of a woman," Jean hissed with a brick red face and wide eyes, which caused Winry to giggle slightly.

"Well then why do we all constantly find you two in rather compromising positions?" she asked with a grin that Jean just wanted to slap off of her face.

"Because I was black out drunk!" Jean yelled a little too loudly for the public place, gaining attention once again. He quickly lowered his voice into a quick hiss again. "I was so wasted New Year's that I couldn't even tell I was making out with anyone until you guys showed up and started screaming, okay? I don't like her. It was a drunken slip-up, alright?"

"Wow, way to be defensive," Winry teased as she picked at her lunch.

"I'm not being defensive, I'm telling you the truth!" he continued, looking a little unhinged now.

"Uh huh, sure," Winry mumbled, not sounding convinced.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Jean said hostilely as he stuffed a fist full of fries into his mouth

"That explains New Year's… but what about Halloween?"

"What now?" Jean snapped as he looked up at Winry with wide eyes along with several half-eaten fries hanging out of his mouth.

"You weren't drunk on Halloween, at least, not during the dance," Winry said calmly. "And yet, you found yourself locking lips with Reb-"

"_Don't say her name_!" he hissed, looking panicked as he glanced over his shoulder quickly.

"Sorry. But still, you were still making out with you-know-who in the haystacks during the dance and you were most likely sober during that escapade -"

"I didn't know it was her!" Jean growled as he stuffed more food into his mouth. "If I knew it was her, I wouldn't have been anywhere near there! _She_ followed_ me_ in there. _She's_ the one with feelings! _I _don't like_ her_! Okay?!"

"Alright. Sorry, just curious," Winry said calmly as she returned to her food. "Won't bring it up again."

"It's alright," Jean grumbled as he ran his fingers through his already messy hair. "And yeah, I'd appreciate it if you stop talking about this."

* * *

"So do you like Jean?" Riza asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

Rebecca chocked on her drink and coughed so loudly that she gained the attention of everyone in the cafeteria.

"Not…s-so lo-loud!" Rebecca coughed weakly, glaring at her friend through tears.

"Sorry," Riza said.

"People can, like, hear you, you know!" Rebecca hissed as she looked around quickly; most of the students had already lost interest in them and turned away.

"No one's paying attention to us," Riza said as she casually sipped her coffee. "Now quit stalling and answer the question."

Rebecca stared at her friend, red face and heart pounding nervously inside of her chest. Her stomach twisted and her brain felt as if someone shoved an electric toothbrush inside her ear, turned it on, and scrambled up her brain.

"I don't know," Rebecca said weakly, feeling incredibly flustered. "Maybe…? But whatever, he doesn't like me so why the hell should I spend time worrying about whether I like him or not?!"

"You honestly think he doesn't like you too?" Riza asked, not looking surprised at her friend's sort-of confession. "He totally likes you too."

"What?! No way! Why would you think that?!"

"Because you two both act the same way six year olds act when they like each other but don't know how to tell each other because they're too immature too."

"Hey I am not-!" Rebecca began but stopped when she saw the look on her friend's face. "Okay, maybe I am immature… but he's more immature. And he's an asshole who smokes and I don't want to like him."

Rebecca then crumbled on top of the table, not caring that her hair was falling into her food.

"I don't want to like him…" Rebecca mumbled miserably. "Why do I like him?"

Riza reached forwards and brushed her friend's hair out of her lunch and then patted her head sympathetically, no longer feeling any sort of ill-will towards her roommate.

"Attraction is a random and chaotic thing that we can't really control," Riza said wisely as her friend turned her head so that her cheek rested on the lunch table and one eye was able to look at Riza.

"You're telling me," she mumbled before she smiled and said, "Okay, now that I've accepted my romantic problems, can we please focus on your clear romantic denial when it comes to that basted Mustang?"

"I do not have feelings for Roy," Riza said stiffly with a calm expression.

"It's okay to admit it, Riza," Rebecca said as she lifted her head from the table and gripped her friend's icy hand. "It's okay to admit you like some asshole jerk. You can't pick who you love. It is a random thing after all."

Riza rolled her eyes, pulled her hand out of Rebecca's grip, and jumped out of her seat. Rebecca grinned evilly and watched as Riza threw on her coat.

"Where are you going?" Rebecca asked.

"We're going to be late," she said briskly.

"Late for what? I think you just don't want to talk about how you are totally in love-"

The loud, ringing bell that signaled the next exam period rung across the crowded cafeteria. All over, students jumped up from their seats so that they would not be late to their next exam. Riza smirked ever so slightly and turned on her heal before she joined the crowds of students trying to leave the cafeteria at once.

"How does she do that…?

* * *

"Hey, Ed," Winry said as she poked her head into Ed and Al's room later that day, knocking on their open door lightly just for good measure. Winry took a step inside of the room and found four blond teenage boys talking quietly.

"Oh, hey Winry," Edward said as he looked up at Winry from the book he had been reading.

"You're not busy, are you?" Winry asked as she glanced at Russell, Fletcher, and Alphonse, who were all watching the two interact as if it were an interesting tennis match.

"Oh, no, I can help you now," Ed answered as he stood up from his seat at his desk and walked over to the door.

"Thanks," Winry said with a grateful smile. "I'm still not totally understanding trig functions."

"Well, let's get to work," the blond teenage boy said as he shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "You'll never get better at something unless you try to improve."

"Right," Winry nodded, feeling a little sheepish while three sets of curious eyes stared at her. She sent Al a stern look while Ed's back was turned that only succeeded in making him smirk at her.

Together, Edward and Winry walked down the three flights of stairs, through the crowded Common Room, and quickly ran outside and down the pathway that led to the nearby library. The library was warm and quiet, filled with tons of students who were in need of a quiet environment to cram for their exams. Winry followed Ed through a number of shelves and tables until they reached the far back corner where a secluded table sat by a fogged up window.

"So what are you still not understanding about the trig functions?" Ed asked as he pulled out his chair and sat down.

"Um, all of it…" Winry admitted sheepishly as she sat down across the table from Ed. "I'm not exactly a math genius."

"Oh, Edward!"

Winry and Ed turned to look up at one of the librarians as she walked towards him. In her arms was a large hard-cover book that seemed as if it weighed a ton.

"Glad I found you, that book you were looking for came in a couple hours ago," the librarian said as she set down the heavy book on the table, causing the table to rattle under its weight.

"Oh, thanks Ms. Jones," Ed said as he attempted to discreetly shove the book to the side. However, he was not able to shove the book away before Winry was able to catch a part of the title of the book: "… Journal of Medicine".

The arrival of the book felt like the preverbal elephant in the room. Winry's eyes kept flicking towards it and Edward seemed dead set on giving the large book any of his attention.

"So… what's the book for?" Winry finally managed to ask after a rather long and slightly awkward moment passed.

"Nothing," Ed answered in a slightly harsh tone of voice. "Just some side reading."

Winry was not buying any of this.

"So do you want to become like, a doctor or something?" Winry asked as she flipped open her math book to the desired page.

"Don't know," Ed snapped as he opened his own book. "But that's why I'm reading this," he said as he pushed the book further from view, as if that would take it out of Winry's mind, "to see if being a doctor seems interesting or not. Just checking out my options. I mean, do you know what you want to do for a living?"

"Kinda," Winry admitted with a shrug. "I want to be a mechanic."

"…really?" Ed asked skeptically with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. I love working on engines and machines and taking things apart and seeing how things work," Winry said, sounding a little breathless with excitement while her eyes began to shine. "I used to just kinda feel like it was a hobby or something but… but it just feels like something more. I wanna do it for the rest of my life, ya know."

Winry stopped and stared at Ed, who was staring at her as if she had just started speaking in perfect Japanese. A small bubble of embarrassment formed inside of Winry as Edward stared at her and she felt her over-excited smile slipped a little bit. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Winry turned away and flipped open her Pre-Calculus book.

"Well, it's cool that you know what you wanna do for a living," Ed finally said after a long, quiet pause.

"Really?" Winry asked, looking up at the golden-eyed teen.

"Yeah. Good you know what you wanna do," Ed said, causing Winry to smile a little wider. "Just didn't picture you as a dirty grease money or anything."

Winry's smile slipped off of her face. Her face felt into a mixture of annoyance and exasperation.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, _library freak_," Winry snapped.

"Library freak?!"

"Yeah, what are you gonna do about it?" Winry asked with a smirk. "Rattle off some knowledge at me? Because what this _grease monkey _can do it much more detrimental than anything you could ever do."

"You wanna bet?" Ed puffed indignantly. "Because not only am in top physical shape, but I can also very easily allow you to fail your Pre-Calc exam."

"I could very easily lock you inside of your dorm room with a couple flicks of a screwdriver," Winry countered. "And if you need references, you could ask Jean how hard I can hit when I have my wrench."

Winry and Ed were in a standoff, neither daring to back off an inch or show any weakness. Finally, it ended after a good minute of staring and silent daring, when Ed leaned back in his chair and let out a deep puff of air.

"Alright, whatever, let's just stop this childish shit and maybe I'll be able to teach you trig functions," he sighed.

"Good."

"Not sure who easy that will be," he said as he opened his own book. "Mechanics haven't be known for their brains."

WHACK!

"Scrawny asshole," Winry spat after hitting Ed in the side of the head with her thick math book. "Did you just call me stupid?!"

"Did you just hit me with a book?!" he yelled as he rubbed the side of his head, wincing.

"Yes. You shouldn't call other people stupid just because they don't understand crazy math that we won't really need outside of school."

"Well you shouldn't hit people with books!"

"You started it," the blond girl declared as she sat her book back down. "Can we stop this _childish shit_ now?"

"…Fine."

As Edward began rattling on about the complexities of sine and cosine and tangents, Winry's eyes looked to the side and noticed the heavy medical book the librarian had brought over minutes before. No matter how hard she wanted to try and focus on learning Pre-Calculus, she just couldn't help but think about the book and why Ed had requested it.

* * *

_Knock, Knock, Knock!_

"Win? It's Gracia," said a gentle female voice through Winry's dorm room door.

"It's open," Winry said as she turned away from her laptop as she sat at her desk. "Come in."

Winry watched out of the corner of her eye as the usually sweet and quiet girl walked into the room and sat down on Sheska's bottom bunk. Winry closed her laptop and spun around in her computer chair so that she could face her friend.

"What's up?" the blond teen asked.

"Nothing much," Gracia answered. "Kinda bored."

It was the second day of exams for Amestris Academy, fourth and fifth period exams only. Seeing as bother Gracia and Winry had a free period during fourth, both girls had a long time to fill before their only exam for the day.

"Me too," Winry admitted with a sigh. "Just doing some last minute studying for Pre-Calc tomorrow. Don't know how good it'll help…"

"Did you study with Ed yesterday?" Gracia asked.

"Yeah. Kinda helped but it's like he's speaking German to me sometimes," Winry said with an angry sigh. "I understand every one word of every five-hundred he says."

Gracia chuckled at the comment before she asked, "so did anything happen?"

"_No,_" Winry said slowly and strongly. "But this librarian came up to him and gave him this huge-ass medical journal thing."

"Really?" Gracia asked as she cocked her head to the side. "Did he say why?"

"No. He acted like it wasn't there for the longest time before I asked him and he gave me this bull excuse on how he was reading it for fun and then maybe he would see if he wanted to be a doctor or something. It was like, the lamest and crappiest excuse I've ever heard."

"Well that's kinda weird," Gracia said.

"Yeah and when I tried to ask him more about it, we just ended up arguing and it was annoying so I just dropped the subject."

"Hmm…"

Gracia grabbed a pillow off of Sheska's head and hugged close against her body. Winry watched as her friend's blue-green eyes slowly unfocused and gained a thousand-yard stare. She called her friend's name several times before Gracia finally shook out of the funk and looked up at Winry.

"You okay?" Winry asked.

"Yeah it's just that… I was thinking about something that happened last night," Gracia trailed off as she looked up at Winry.

"Well, what is it?"

"It's just that… well last night I had to go talk to Mrs. Wyatt about something for Child Development and it was kinda late so it was dark, ya know."

"Right."

"And I was leaving the building and I just felt like someone was watching me," Gracia said. "Usually when I get that feeling, it's just me being crazy, but when I turned around to look, I saw someone watching me."

"Who was it?" Winry asked as she pushed herself forwards in her chair so that she could be closer to her friend. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine… just feeling really creeped out," Gracia said in a slightly shaking and possibly angry voice.

"What happened?!" Winry exclaimed, her heart fluttering in her chest.

"I was leaving the building on North Campus and I felt someone watching me and so I turned around, figured I was being crazy. And I see this figure but I couldn't tell exactly who or what it was because some of the lights around there were busted."

"So… it might not have been a person," Winry said slowly. "You could have just been seeing something."

"I thought that too… until there was a camera flash and I heard a guy's voice and saw the figure run away," Gracia said, her eyes wide and her voice quivering slightly.

"What?" Winry asked, her mind going blank.

"Yeah."

"What'd you do?"

"I freaking ran away as fast as I could back to the dorms," the brunette said as she squeezed her pillow as tight as she could to her chest.

"Are you okay?" Winry asked as she placed her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, just kinda spooked."

"Did you tell Maes about it?"

"Are you crazy?" Gracia asked. "If I told Maes, he would bust down every dorm room door, rip apart every room, search every nook and cranny for the person and then do only God knows what to them. Or he'd have an aneurysm."

"Well… are you going to do anything about it?"

"…No…" she said with a sigh. "I'm fine. Nothing bad happened. There wouldn't even be anything to tell anyone about. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Positive."

* * *

**Hmmm... there's a creeper on campus. And they're creeping on Gracia.**

**Hopefully I can get this updated before I freaking graduate from High School. God, my updating skills have gone completely out of the window.**

**Thanks to those who still feel like dealing with me.**

**-FSK**


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